The Secrets of Foes
by Phaedra Parker
Summary: When Draco and Hermione are forced together they uncover secrets about the other that could not only destroy them, but also bind them together.
1. The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: I do not own anything even remotely related to Harry Potter. That honor belongs solely to JK Rowling. However... I won a bet... therefore, Tom Felton is mine!!

Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read my very first Fan Fic! This will be sort of a Draco and Hermione romance, but there is mystery, and an actual plot line. Forgive me if the story goes slow, but I just don't see the characters erasing years of hate in two chapters, these things take time. Please please review, and tell me and suggestions, tips, or whatever. Thank you very much. Phaedra

Chapter 1 The Beginning Of The End

The Hogwarts Express deposited the future of the wizarding world as the last weak rays of sun descended upon the land. Light could be seen blazing warmly through the many windows in the castle. Hermione clutched her small bag to her chest as she stepped from the platform. She heard Ron struggling with Pig's cage, and Harry enduring several first years' whispers. She had no desire to slow her pace, but she knew she would be interrogated if she didn't wait up for her two best friends.

"Hermione!" choked an older, larger Ron. He definitely had the look of a Weasly about him still, but there was no question about it, he was by far the largest of the family. After making the Quidditch team in year five he had slowly built up not only his frame, but also his confidence. He no longer had the annoying habit of his ears turning red at every embarrassing, or angering moment. Now he had a cool head about his shoulders, and lived in a carefree sort of world, much like his twin brother's Fred and George. His freckles had faded, and his hair was not quite the shocking tone of red it used to be. Hermione pictured him in her mind, and silently admitted to herself that he was a very handsome boy, probably the best looking Quidditch captain the Griffindor team had ever had.  
Hermione stopped in mid stride without turning around. She merely waited for the two grown boys to catch up to her. She again heard a gaggle of young girls talking loudly about how handsome Harry was, and she silently agreed with that as well. Harry was no longer the awkward little boy with glasses. He now wore contacts, and appeared to have spent the summer in the sun, losing that pale look of death that constantly hung about him. Harry had also grown internally since they were young. He was no longer a rash individual, instead he took time thinking all of his plans through before executing them. This Hermione was grateful for. He was quieter, and more introspective, in this, their last years at Hogwart's together.

Hermione sighed audibly at the thought of this being the last time the train would carry her to her home. She loved Hogwarts more than anything, and she dreaded this being the end. She debated whether or not to become a teacher within its halls. Finally she felt the usual presence on either side of her, indicating that Ron and Harry had taken their accustomed places. The three ambled to the carriages that awaited them. Hermione stopped suddenly and blinked twice. The boys charged forward claiming the nearest empty transport. She never imagined she would be able to seem them, not while she was still at school. But nevertheless, there they were right in front of her as plain as day. The horse-like thestrals. She had to admit there was a bit of beauty behind them, but under the circumstances she wished she never had the privilege.

As the three clambered into the carriage she reflected on her summer. It had been a trying time, and none expected her to return to school so soon after the tragedy. Ron and Harry had been kind not to mention it. The accident was the last thing she wanted to talk about, ever. She remembered it now. It was a warm summer day, and her parents decided to take a trip to the coast. They piled into their old car and drove to the sea. It was a beautiful day spent in celebration of Hermione's return home. They stayed far into the evening watching the last glints of sun on the horizon. They were returning home, and Hermione, being exhausted had fallen asleep. When she awoke it was to the lurch of the car to a sudden stand still, and the crunch of grinding metal. She remembered waking up in the front seat and looking up to search for her parents. Her father was hunched lifeless over the steering wheel, and her mother was nowhere to be found. She immediately established that she was relatively unscathed, besides a searing pain in her leg, but she threw open the passenger door, and looked for her mother at the front of the vehicle. She was in a tangle of glass and metal, in a pool of her own blood. She remembered screaming, and the flashing lights. She remembered her mother's last words. "I love you, make us proud" and then she watched the light die from her mother's eyes.

A single tear streamed down Hermione's face, but she brushed it away before the boys noticed. She silently thanked God that her father was still alive, and that she had sustained only a broken leg. She had told Ron and Harry about the accident after she left the hospital. They were both willing to come to her, but she begged them to stay. This was going to be a difficult year. She slowly mustered up her strength, preparing to make her speech at the Welcome feast this evening, she was being made head girl tonight. She must appear happy. Her mind slowly drifted to the thoughts of who the head boy would be.  
Hermione sat silently at the Griffindor table in the great hall, applauding when a first year was admitted into their house, and smiling serenely at all of the younger students. This was her role. Finally after Dumbledore finished with his routine he called the attention of the room. He proudly announced the names of the head boy and girl.

"Students, teachers, it is my honor to present to you two students who have worked their hardest, and who have become the best. The honor I am about to bestow on one boy and one girl is that of head students. Miss Hermione Granger," a loud cheer broke from the Griffindor table, "and Mr. Draco Malfoy." another loud cheer rose up from the opposite end of the room.

Hermione sat in her seat paralyzed. She thought it could have been anyone but him. She silently prayed that Dumbledore had made a mistake, and that it was not her fate to share her coveted role with that weasel. She faintly heard Ron mumble something, and Harry choke on his pumpkin juice. After she watched Malfoy rise and begin his journey to the front dais she snapped back to reality. All eyes were now on her. She gracefully stood up and followed suit to the front.

The cheers gradually faded away, and gave the two foes enough time to glare at each other, and sneer in that timeless fashion. Malfoy began his speech. It was something about the houses forming a unique bond, and about how important they are to the world. There was some snide advice about being all you can be, and quite a few remarks about Slytherin being the best house. After that Hermione delivered her speech about unity and hard work flawlessly. The two returned to their seats, and listened to the final chorus of clapping. Hermione glanced toward the Slytherin table and caught Malfoy's eye. The two stared at each other for several long moments. The only thing that brought them back around was the large frame of Professor Sprout blocking their view. All the tables slowly cleared of students.  
"Hermione, you coming?" Asked Ron while rising.

"No, I have to stay around and find out where my new dormitory is, and listen to a lecture from Mcgonagall and Snape." Hermione answered while also standing.

"Alright, well come up to the common room when you are done, we want to celebrate!" cried Harry.

Hermione smiled back and nodded slightly, but she knew she had no intention of celebrating this empty victory. She knew she should be proud of her hard work, and she knew this would be exactly what her mother had wanted, but somehow she could not bring herself to share the glory with the person she despised the most. She didn't just hate Malfoy for the horrible way he had treated her and her friends all throughout their years as students, but she hated him for a deeper reason, a reason she wouldn't even admit to herself. She walked carefully to the front dais, and waited for the teachers to finish with their conversations. She turned in time to notice Malfoy a mere arms length away. She involuntarily stiffened, and returned her gaze towards her beloved teachers.

Dumbledore gently inclined his head at the two of them, and she couldn't help but genuinely smile back. Dumbledore had sent her father a long letter telling him how sorry he was, and how he would personally see to every comfort Hermione would need. Her heart swelled, she loved Dumbledore as much as her own grandfather. She stole one quick glance to her right and studied Malfoy. Indeed he had grown too. He was taller, and had filled out more. His skin was not nearly as pale, and his eyes were a dazzling silver with gray flecks. Thankfully his white hair had also deepened to a pale shade of gold, and hung loosely in locks about his face. She had to admit that he too was handsome in a detestable sort of way. She would rather marry a blast ended skrewt than spend time with this ferret.

Finally Mcgonagall and Snape approached the two students, who were nearly adults and gave them a curt nod. Mcgonagall instructed them to follow their lead. The four walked through many corridors, mostly without speaking. They were of course congratulated, Snape in a most unpleasant way to Hermione. After about ten minutes the group stopped in front of a beautiful marble statue carved in the likeness of two great Celtic warriors, one male and one female. Mcgonagall asked the two for a password.

"Mudblood," muttered Malfoy under his breath. Hermione glared.

"How about ferret?" she asked pleasantly, putting her most innocent face on. She could hear Malfoy catch his breath.

"I see," sighed Mcgonagall, " shall we try... unity?" both nodded their heads in sullen agreement, and the statue grinded to the side. Mcgonagall led the way followed by Snape. The narrow hallway opened up into a glorious common room blazing with soft lights. There were three maroon overstuffed couches, two great fireplaces, two desks, and plenty of book shelves. The stone floor was covered by a rich velvety green rug. The crests of both their houses hung on opposite walls, along with two portraits of the house founders staring appraisingly down on the set. Mcgonagall broke off from Snape and beckoned Hermione to follow, Snape did the same. They walked to opposite sides of the common room, and each met another statue, the likeness of the outer one, only now the lovers were separated. Hermione stared into the beautiful warrior woman's face and sighed. Mcgonagall softly asked for a password. Hermione let out a deep breath and said, "I shall like my password to be Adele"

"Very well dear, this is your room, mind you, the rules still apply for boys and girls. You should find a fully stocked restroom, and there should be absolutely no reason for either of you to stray into the other's room for longer then ten minutes."

"You won't have to worry about that." growled Hermione, still disappointed about their choice of head boy.

"Very well then Hermione, this is where I leave you, I hope you find everything suitable. I have included something special in this room for you" she paused for dramatic effect, and walked over to a tall dark mahogany book case. She pulled on an empty book binding and said "Hogwarts, a History" clearly to nothing. Seconds later the book appeared on the desk in the corner. Hermione gasped and then ran over to see that it was real. She smiled up wistfully at Mcgonagall.

"The shelf is inter-connected with the library. Anytime you need a book and you don't feel like the walk, this is all you must use. Also, if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask me." with this Mcgonagall walked swiftly to Hermione and gave her a tight but brief hug. "I am very proud of you". With that she exited the room, and departed with Snape. After the shock of being hugged wore off, Hermione's eyes filled with tears, and she collapsed on her maroon rug hugging her knees. The last words hit her deeply. Everything came cascading like a waterfall. Her mother was dead, and she was to make her proud, her roommate was her greatest foe, she would soon be leaving the sanctity of this school, and she had not yet even planned for her future. Her friends could not understand her right now, and she had never felt more miserable in her entire life. She rocked back and forth holding herself, and silently sobbing. Her entire body was racked with her silent misery. She hadn't the time to notice that her statue had not closed after Mcgonagall's departure.

Draco walked silently back into the common room, hoping to do a little exploring before the "know it all" came out ordering him around. He threw himself onto one of the couches and glared up at Godrik Griffindor's portrait. Griffindor just glared right back, and walked out of his frame. Draco took the time to recall the events of his summer, and of his first night back at Hogwarts.

He smiled slightly at the fact that he was home. He loved Hogwarts more than any place on earth. The smile faded as he remembered that this was his last year. He silently reflected on his memories of school. Granger was in almost all of them, he winced. He hated her, she was always so indignant for a mudblood, always so persistent. She was about the only one in that group who could make him look like a fool. His thoughts meandered back to his summer. The worst of his life. His mother had departed for the south of France to visit family, and he was left alone with his maniac of a father. All he had talked about was what Draco would mean to the family when he finally graduated. He talked constantly of his responsibility to see the dark arts survive, and flourish. This was a responsibility Draco had no desire to shoulder. He dreaded the thought of ever being like his father, but as his fear surpassed his dread, he knew he had no choice. He had been directly told that if he disobeyed his life would pay the forfeit of submission. He trailed off in his thinking, and found himself appraising Granger. She had grown slightly taller, and indeed filled out her robes more definitely. Her hair hung halfway down her back, a deep shade of chestnut, no longer frizzy, but in loose curls. Her skin was creamy and lightly colored. He rebelled against the thought of Granger as attractive. In fact he made a slight choking sound, and shook his head as if to dismiss the thought. He had known all along she would be head girl, but it didn't ease his annoyance of it. The thought of sharing his dormitory with a whiny book worm made his insides squirm. He sat in silence for a moment, and then heard a muffled sound from Granger's still opened room. Against his better judgment he rose and walked near the entrance. He peered into the dimly lit space and noted the rooms were exactly the same. His eyes trailed toward the floor, and he saw her in a crumbled mass upon the rug. He hesitated, confused. Then his old spite returned and he snickered loudly enough for her to hear.

"What's wrong Granger, can't believe you are still only second best? Or is it that you're afraid you won't live up to everyone's expectations once you are in the spotlight?"

The crumpled mass suddenly stilled and she turned over slowly. After glimpsing that menacing smirk she screamed as loud as she could "Get out!" it was bellowed with such force that the look on Malfoy's face immediately turned into something like shock. He took one step back and the statue slammed into place. He walked quickly back to his own room, and once there contemplated what he just saw. Something was terribly wrong with Granger, not that he cared, he reminded himself. Something more horrible than passing her N.E.W.T.S and sharing a dorm with him. He thought about this all night before he finally fell asleep.

Hermione doubled over with twice the fury of her last tears. She wept audibly into the soft warm rug, and laid there for what seemed like eternity. After all her frustration had flooded from her eyes, and she was no longer able to cry or rage, she laid upon the bed, and the last image that flickered in her exhausted mind was the shocked face of Malfoy, which almost mingled with sympathy. How she loathed him.


	2. Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Well, here goes chapter 2. I want to thank Krista for being the very first person to review my story, it means a lot to me. Thanks for the positive imput, and I can't wait to read your story. Please review with any suggestions, or comments. Thanks!! Phaedra

Chapter 2 Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Two weeks passed uneventfully. Hermione's classes were the same one's she had taken since her first year, only they were increasingly difficult. She found no trouble in achieving all A's since she preferred to drowned her thoughts among yellowing pages. She saw very little of Ron and Harry, and the two expressed their concern for her on several occasions. The three had once been inseparable. Now, the chasm which had formed over the summer seemed only to grow as the year progressed.  
Hermione was careful to avoid Malfoy at all costs, since he was the only one to witness her break down. She always left the common room first for classes, and immersed herself in reading by the lake until the light in his room flickered off. She thought out a careful routine, in which she hoped she could avoid seeing him all year. The only thing she dreaded was the meeting coming up the following evening. This was one for all the prefects, and the head boy and girl to discuss a celebration before winter break. This meeting was not avoidable. A head girl was not allowed to miss something that important without being in the hospital wing, and she assumed they would just move the meeting there if that was the case. She slowly walked back to the common room at 6:30, praying Malfoy was with one of his stupid friends.

Draco had spent the two weeks since the encounter with Granger carefully avoiding her. He still didn't know how he should act around her. He waited for her to leave every morning before he would chance entering the common room, and he went straight to his room at 9:00, knowing she would still be studying somewhere. Something inside his gut told him that he had witnessed something more than frustration, and he silently respected that. He had no desire to make fun of her right now, which shocked him.  
Draco was on edge about the perfect's meeting they were to hold that evening at 7:00. He knew he couldn't escape one night, though he had already tried. He decided he would call her a few names, just to keep the gossip down. The last thing he wanted was for the school to think he liked that dirty little witch. He returned to the common room at 6:15, and threw himself on the couch.

Hermione changed into a pair of jeans, and an old faded t-shirt. She threw her hair up in a sloppy ponytail, and then exited her room. She gasped at the sight of Malfoy sprawled upon the couch. She realized that she had not used the common room once since their arrival. Malfoy looked up at her, and his eyes grew slightly wider. He looked away quickly, pretending he didn't notice her. She threw him a terrible look and charged toward the hallway. "Hey, Granger" he called, "I don't know what was up with you, but I haven't told anyone, so let's just forget it ok?" "Yeah, it would be easy to forget anyone has feelings wouldn't it?" barked Hermione as she charged through the exit.

Draco sat in silence watching the area where her slender form had disappeared. He shrugged his shoulders, and made an agreement with himself that at least he tried. He also rose to his feet an left the common room. After turning left at the end of the dimly lit corridor he fell over something blocking his way.  
"What the...." he yelled, thrashing his head back. He turned to see Hermione on all fours desperately searching the ground for something. She didn't even seem to notice he was there. "What are you doing?" he stated flatly, a little curious.  
"It doesn't concern you" she gurgled. He could tell she was crying by the splatters on the ground, and the choking voice.  
"Well, whatever" he said as he forced himself up. He started to take a step when he froze, Hermione let out a scream "NO!". She lunged forward and picked up the thing Draco was about to step on. He caught a slight glimpse of a golden heart.  
"What's that?" he asked, trying to sound casual. The look she returned from her tear streaked face was enough to send him stumbling backwards again. He turned abruptly and left.

Hermione didn't know how it happened. One minute she was walking down the corridor, and the next her chain had broken, and the locket smashed upon the stone. The locket was her constant reminder that her mother loved her, and now it was shattered. After Malfoy had left she stared down into the face of her mother, and then gathered the piece of her father. She slowly turned around and walked back to her dorm. Once there she placed her prized possession under her pillow, and made an attempt to straighten her appearance. She cringed at the thought of Malfoy seeing her twice in utter despair. She slowly trudged back out into the hall, headed for the meeting.

Draco didn't know exactly what he had just witnessed. It looked as though Granger had broken a necklace, nothing to get so worked up over. He chuckled to himself as he pictured Hermione pregnant, explaining her mood swings. The thing he couldn't stop thinking about however were the glances she threw at him every time. It was the strangest look he had ever seen. Something in her eyes told of pain, and understanding, but her actions told everyone, especially him, to back off.

Hermione filed into the small dungeon room a few minutes after Draco. She took all caution to avoid his searching glance, and moved to the far end of the room. Her cheeks grew hot when she glanced up and noticed she had been holding the entire meeting up. She mumbled some sort of apology, and continued to stare at her laced fingers sitting neatly on her lap.

"Now," began professor McGonagall, "We are rapidly approaching our winter holiday, therefore, some sort of celebration is in order. The staff has proposed a sort of winter dance, themed however you collective students wish. You may make any suggestion you wish at this time."

After a moment or two a fifth year perfect slowly raised her hand. McGonagall nodded her head as permission, and the girl quietly suggested a dance themed around family, and togetherness. She suggested we all dress a part, like fathers and mothers, and children.

Draco peered across the dimly lit room, and recognized the look in Hermione's eyes, is was barely concealed fear. He wasn't sure what could possibly upset her about that suggestion, assuming she loved her family. Then he noticed the casual nods of agreement circling the room, and her eyes grew even wider in panic. He mentally shrugged, and decided he owed her this. "That's a stupid idea, how many kids have lost someone in their family, that would only hurt." All eyes focused on Draco.

"And you have something better to offer Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked, both eyebrows raised to the middle of her forehead.

"Well, actually now that you mention it," he stole a quick look at Hermione, and he was taken aback by the sheer look of gratefulness she was displaying. His breath caught in his throat, but he forged on, "Yeah I was thinking maybe we could do sort of a founding fathers sort of dance, where we all dress up as they would of when Hogwarts first opened, celebrating the way they would have."

"That's a really good idea!" Hermione nearly shouted out of pure relief. Anything that wouldn't remind her of her mother. Her poor broken mother. The room all voiced approval, and within minutes it was decided. The theme of the dance was "Hogwarts, a History" cleverly named by Hermione herself.

After the meeting Hermione watched Draco leave the room. She felt like she owed him something. Was it just her imagination, or did he sort of just come to her rescue, even if he didn't know it. She decided she would try to say something nice, maybe show a little appreciation. She hurried down the corridor and nearly ran into his back at full force. She stopped short, and he turned around slowly, training his cold gaze on her.

"Um, I just wanted to say that was a really great suggestion in there" dear God thank you so much for saving me from the worst pain ever, " Do you have any ideas on how we can decorate it?"

Draco merely stared blankly at her, and slowly turned back around. He was at a loss for words. He had put together that this was some sort of a thank you on her part, but how could he let her know he understood, that he watched her every action. He shrugged mildly and then said, "I guess we could probably find some old stuff in some of the storage rooms, guess you better go do some research huh?" The last part of this was said in a bit of a biting tone, sort of a hint at how he felt being ignored constantly in favor of books, and idiots like Weasly and Potter.

Hermione was determined not to let that comment rile her temper, instead she shrugged and said "You're right, I should, we will make this the best winter festival ever. Maybe I can read up on some old games, and we can play those. That would be fun right?" She fidgeted nervously with the ends of her robes.

"Yeah, that would be alright. Well, I guess I'll see you at the festival." With that Draco continued walking, leaving no room for more conversation, and no pace to keep up with. Hermione stared at his back as he walked away. She had a feeling that he had helped her on purpose, and she didn't think that is was just her imagination that he was being semi decent to her. But what could he possibly mean by "See you at the festival" we share a common room for crying out loud. But then again, you haven't stayed in there for more than 2 minutes ever since that first day. Maybe he's right...


	3. Constant Reminders

Hello again! Thanks for reading my story. I know it's moving kinda slow, but I promise it will catch up in the next few chapters. Please review and give me any suggestions or comments. Thank you Phaedra

Chapter 3 Constant Reminders

Another uneventful week passed at Hogwart's. Although Hermione made a conscience effort to spend more time in her common room, it made no difference. Draco was never there. After awhile she started to think she was just picking up some mixed signals, and that he had just temporarily lapsed into normal human behavior.

She woke up on Friday morning feeling out of sorts. She noticed she was running a bit late, so she opted for a quick shower, no fancy bubbles, or steam massages. She hurried out into the common room and stopped short. There sprawled out on one of the couches lay Draco. Her breath caught in her throat, the air felt like it was heavy with moisture. He lay innocently enough asleep, but only half dressed. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his bared torso. The muscles were all clearly defined, obviously without effort. The rise and fall of his chest hypnotized Hermione momentarily. His pants were dangerously low, and exposed the fine muscles leading to a taper beneath. She looked to his face and saw his normally perfect hair in a dishevel. It looked like soft gold.

Hermione weighed her options. She could wake him up and ruin this moment, or she could let him sleep, which would make both of them late for class, because she knew she wouldn't be able to tear her eyes away from him. She took the first choice, still retaining some of her sanity. She crept quietly up the side of the couch, and carefully laid a hand upon his shoulder. His skin felt warm and soft. For a fleeting moment she felt the urge to run her fingers along his arm, and across his chest. Oh my god, what am I thinking? This is Malfoy!! Have I lost it just because he saved me from one stupid embarrassing moment? Hell he didn't even do it on purpose.

While she was staring blankly down at her hand on his shoulder Draco awoke. He didn't dare to move. Instead he focused on her face, and wondered at the conflict he noticed in her eyes. Quickly he debated whether he should pretend to still be asleep, or if he should catch the surprise and embarrassment in her eyes. He didn't want to ruin this strangely sweet moment, so he again shut his eyes. After a moment he felt the gentle pressure of Hermione trying to shake him out of his pretend slumber. She had the most delicate touch he noticed. Had he really been asleep he never would have felt it. She persisted with added pressure this time, adding her other hand to the mix. He skin was cool to the touch, and it sent slight chills down his back.

He slowly opened his eyes, and couldn't help but smile a little. She looked down at him, and as predicted her cheeks grew red. "Trying to molest me?" he chuckled, finding it all very amusing.

"Hardly, I didn't want to be sent back up 8 flights of stairs to wake you up. I thought I would save myself the trouble." She said angrily. With that she flipped her hair, and stormed out of the room.

Draco stared after her confused. He thought he was being friendly. He thought it was a cute joke. But then he remembered this was Granger he was talking about. His mood turned sour. What the hell? She can't take a joke. No wonder she's got that book jammed so far up her... ARGGG.... why was I trying to be nice to that wench anyways? What has she ever done for me? Nothing... Not a thing. Just because she touched you a little bit doesn't mean you have to get yourself all worked up Draco. Come on, she shook you, it's not like she started rubbing you down. My god, what is wrong with me?

With that Draco pulled himself off the couch and headed into his bed chambers. He had just enough time to fix his hair, and put on a clean pair of robes. With that he raced down to his herbology class.

She was sitting where she always did, right in between Ron and Harry. Draco threw the three of them his customary scowl and proceeded to the slytherin side of the room. He took the chance to look up at her midway through class. Something was amiss. She was staring down at her hands, and both Ron and Harry were equally solemn. Has there been a fight? Did I miss something?? He stared for awhile longer, and when he realized he would get no answers that way, he decided to make a go of it. He got out of his seat, and walked over toward the three of them. He grazed past on his way to the fountain, and said "What is that smell? Did someone die?" Just loud enough for the Slytherin table to hear "Oh no, must just be Weasel, potty, and the mudblood."

He looked directly at Hermione hoping to see what the tension was all about. If they were mad at each other he reasoned they wouldn't stick up for one another. Unfortunately the look Hermione had in her eye was one of searing pain. He could see tears welling up. Harry gave him a hard shove, and he landed on top of a stack of pots. Harry and Ron shot him venomous glances, but Hermione had again turned to her hands, which were now splattered with tears. What the? I've called her a mudblood thousands of times, and it only made her cry once. What did I say? Wait... what if she sort of likes me, and I just hurt her feelings? No... couldn't be... besides, what would I want with a dirty little know it all like that anyways?

Hermione tried to dry her eyes inconspicuously, but she knew Ron and Harry had noticed. After she rushed into class and pulled out her organizer she realized what day it was, her mother's birthday. She grew very quiet, and ignored all prodding from Harry and Ron. When they didn't cease she slid her planner across the table and the two were quiet instantly. She had written the date in last year, and had scribbled hearts and stars all around it. When Draco made the comment about some one dying it sent her off the edge.

She slowly rose from her seat and walked to the front of the room. She quietly asked Mrs. Sprout to be excused, and wasn't denied, given every teacher was aware of her circumstance. She didn't notice a pair of eyes lingering on her, eyes tinged with worry and regret.


	4. Playing Dress Up

Hello everyone! This is where the story starts to get good. The first few chapters were just to establish some things. I hope you enjoy. Please review!

Chapter 4 Playing Dress Up

Another two weeks passed in the halls and class rooms or Hogwarts. It was Saturday, and a trip to Hogsmeade was planned. She made a quick guess at the time, and figured she had slept in late enough judging by the angle of the rays of sun thrown across her bed. She got up, and did the customary shower and change, and headed for the common room. She assumed she was just in time for lunch. The heavy weight she had been carrying with her since her embarrassing display in Herbology was lifting. She felt a little happier, and even hungry for the first time in weeks. She started humming a little tune as the statue slid to the right to admit her passage. She was looking down at her shoes, beat up old things. After they had satisfied her curiosity she glanced up, and nearly tripped when her gaze met that of Draco's. He sat poised at the edge of one of the couches, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. His hair curtaining his left eye. He just continued to stare at her, in this sort of confused way. Hermione tossed her curls and continued toward the main passage.  
"Hey Granger, wait a second." he forced out before it was too late.

"What?" she replied without turning around, or breaking her stride.

"Um, are you going to Hogsmeade today?"

"I was planning on it. Why? Daddy didn't sign your permission slip?" she chuckled. Draco let out a half growl, and Hermione shivered a bit.

"No, I was thinking that today we could actually do something the school is expecting of us besides bickering." This slowed Hermione's pace, and she turned.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come off it Granger, I don't want to hang out with you, but I don't want to disappoint the whole school because we couldn't get along for five minutes. Now my plan was to ask McGonagall for permission to go into the store rooms in the attic and see if we can find any decorations, or even costumes."

"Um... Oh, well, that sounds like a good idea actually." Hermione said the words slowly, and unsure, as if she couldn't believe Malfoy had thought of it himself.

"Well?" He waited impatiently.

"Yeah, but I'm really hungry right now, do you want to meet up at her office at around 12:30?"

"Sounds good" With that Hermione left the room, and continued down to the great hall.  
Hermione took her accustomed place between Harry and Ron, who were having a heated argument about some quidditch team.

"Just think, Quidditch in America!" Ron fumed, "Bunch of bloody idiots if you ask me. I bet they'll even want to have protective gear."

"Oh relax Ron, Americans aren't as big of babies as they seem, I met a very nice one this summer..." Harry countered. At this point Hermione stopped listening and focused on her brunch. It was a delicious club sandwich and pumpkin juice. She played with her fork and slowly chewed her food. She just couldn't believe that Malfoy had come up with a decent plan, and that he was actually being civil to her.

After she finished the remainder of her meal she rose and said a hurried goodbye to her friends.  
"Where are you going Hermione? Aren't you going to Hogsmeade?" Harry questioned.

"Uh, no actually, I am going to do a project for our winter festival. Um... it was Malfoy's idea." She shrugged.

"What? You are going to spend quality time with that git? Do you want us to come along? What if he tries to pull something. I don't trust him Hermione, not at all." Ron exploded, not even stopping for a breath.

"I know, I don't either, but I can't disappoint the school just because he is a pompous ass." she countered, and gathered her bags. "Don't worry about me guys, I will tell you if anything happens, and believe me, I am taking my wand and a few choice hexes along with me." she winked, and left the common room.

I guess if I am going to be digging through a bunch of old dusty boxes I had better change my clothes. She glanced at the time and noted that she had about 20 minutes before she was supposed to meet Malfoy. She hurried down the empty corridors and stopped in front of the two warrior statues. "Unity" she said clearly. The two statues smiled at her appraisingly and slid to the left. She entered the passage way and turned left to her room. After about five minutes of deciding what to wear she settled on a torn pair of jeans and an old shirt from a circus she got when she was kid. She threw her hair into a sloppy ponytail and grabbed an empty bag.

At precisely 12:30 she arrived at McGonagall's office. 'go figure, that moron can't even tell time' she thought bitterly to herself. She nearly choked when Draco walked out of McGonagall's office beaming, with their professor in tow.

"Good luck you two," she said smiling, "You'll need to get the keys from Filch, he should be doing his rounds on the first floor." With that her robes made a flourish, and she swished down the hall.

"Great," Hermione sighed, "That is the last person I would want to talk to"

"No joke." Draco replied as he headed for the stairs. He was confused, they hadn't even glared at each other. He continued to lead the way down to the first floor. When they spotted Filch Draco was the first to approach him.

"Um, Filch, we are looking for decorations for the Winter Festival, and Professor McGonagall said we would need to get the keys from you." he stated bravely, "Um, you know, the ones for the attics."

Filch glared at the two attractive teens, and sized them up. He reluctantly handed over a large rusty key ring, and muttered, "Decorations my foot! Hoodlum kids just running around trying to find another place to snog. Back in my day..." his words trailed off as he turned around. Draco and Hermione exchanged incredulous looks, and then glared at the retreating figure. They both silently thought that he couldn't be farther from the truth. Then Draco did something that shocked both of them.

He laughed. A long hearty laugh, one that comes from the gut. Hermione after a confused moment joined in.

"Ha ha, Filch... You and I.... snogging...." he desperately tried to catch his breath.

"I know, in the attic of all places..." Hermione erupted. The two continued back to the staircase getting some semblance of calm. The rest of the way up to the attic neither made a sound. Hermione reviewed the moment in her head. That was the only time in the past 7 years she had heard Draco ever truly laugh, and not just snicker. It was a nice sound, sort of a low rumble, one of the contagious kind.

The two reached the top, and were met with their first obstacle. A large wooden door, very ancient looking. Draco began to scan the set of keys. His eyes clouded over, and Hermione could tell he was concentrating very hard. After about a minute of him searching she reached out and grabbed the knob. It made a loud creaking noise from years of unuse, and the door swung open. Malfoy glared up at her, but refrained from comment. They continued down a narrow corridor, and read the rusty name plates on all of the doors. Finally they found one that said, "Storage". Draco immediately reached for the know, not wanting to be out smarted again by Hermione. This one was locked. He smirked at her and began flipping through keys. Finally he found one that matched the engravings on the knob, and inserted it. The door creaked open, and dust flew out. Everything was covered in large sheets, and the two looked apprehensively around the room.

Hermione decided to take charge, "you get the right side, and I'll check the left." Both went to their respective sides and began lifting musty old sheets. The first one Hermione lifted hid a bunch of old trunks. She knelt down and opened an ancient lid. Inside were the most beautiful ball gowns she had ever seen. There appeared to be one for each lady of the house. She immediately spotted the one for Gryffindor, and pulled out the soft fabric. It was long, and told of days long since passed. She admired the fine stitches, and turned it this way and that in the thin shafts of light. She squealed and called to Draco.

"Draco! Look what I found, this is definatley going to be my costume. It is just perfect. And look, there is one for a Slytherin girl in here too!" she said excitedly. Then she realized that she had just been really really civil to Malfoy, and had even called him by his first name. She cringed as he lifted his eyes, and displayed a soft smirk.

Draco couldn't believe that he had heard her use his first name, and he could tell by the look on her face that she hadn't intended to do it either. He decided to let it slide, because he didn't want to spend this whole day sparring with Hermione about how soft she was growing. He glanced at the gown she was holding, and indeed is was very pretty he thought. Gold and maroon. He thought that she would look very stunning in the gown, but refrained from telling her so. "Yeah, it looks pretty cool," he conceded, hoping that didn't sound too interested, or friendly. "There's a slytherin one in there too?" he questioned.

Without delay Hermione carefully placed her costume on top of another chest and withdrew the Slytherin gown. It was black and green, and shimmered in the light. It was a equally beautiful dress. Draco smiled and said "I know what I'm going to be for this dance"

"What a cross dresser?" Hermione chuckled.

"No, I think my girlfriend and I will be Lord and Lady Slytherin." he replied.

"Oh," Hermione faltered. She didn't know Draco had a girlfriend, and she couldn't quite tell if it bothered her. "Who gets that honor this week?" she said coldly, throwing the dress in a crumpled heap on the floor. Draco didn't miss any of her actions.

"Pansy," he said slowly, "I thought you knew, everyone knows, I mean, Honestly, we've been off an on ever since we came to Hogwarts. Lucky for her, we've been on since September." he finished.

"Oh lucky girl," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. How could she not have known? But then again Malfoy had never been very open with public displays of affection, and he often mocked Pansy freely. Hermione continued to search through trunks. She found one filled with jewelry to match the gowns, and considering the Slytherin gown was gorgeous she placed the matching jewelry on top of it, sighing audibly. Draco noticed all of this. He knew that as much as Hermione didn't like Pansy she was mature enough to realize the inevitable. He smiled a bit to himself. She treated everything with such care, even when she loathed it. He respected her for that. He noticed she had pulled out several necklaces and laid them near her own gown, seeing which ones would go the best. In the end she put all the things she had tried back in the trunk and looked wistfully at the ceiling. Draco knew something was wrong.

"Couldn't find something gaudy enough?" he asked, trying to get a rise out of her.

"Shut up Malfoy." she said, and again concentrated on her task. The room was silent except for the occasional shuffling sound. After about twenty minutes Hermione said "Hey, Lord Slytherin, I found your costume." She held up a very ornate slytherin costume that matched the dress perfectly. She laid it next to the gown and continued searching. She found one for Gryffindor.

"Hey, who are you taking to the dance?" Draco asked nonchalantly.

"I don't know, I guess it's between Harry or Ron, but I bet they already have dates." She said more to herself then to Draco.

"You know there are other guys in this school, the entire world doesn't revolve around those to chuckle heads." He meant this as sort of a compliment, but it came out all wrong.

"Leave them out of this Malfoy, and come to think of it, Leave me out of this too. I think I will just go alone, it doesn't really bother me." She said shortly. Again silence pervaded the room. after about half an hour Draco decided one last time to have a civil conversation, he had to admit he was bored out of his mind.

"You know, that locket of yours would probably go really well with that dress." He offered. Hermione glared up at him instantly. He knew he had hit a sore spot.

"It's broken." was all she managed to say.

"Um, well, can't you fix it?" He asked dumbly.

"It broke for a reason, I just haven't figured it out yet."

"What do you mean for a reason."

"I mean, that necklace was very special to me, and it broke on its own accord. There was no outside reason, it just broke. ok? Besides I can't fix it. I don't know how, and I've already looked for spells in my free time." she finished and pushed herself off the floor. She stood up and began to load her arms up with all the things they had picked out. She looked at him, and said "I have a lot of other stuff to do tonight, but this was a really good idea Malfoy. I'll leave your costumes here." With that she walked out of the room. Draco stared at her as she walked out the door. She suddenly looked very tired. He didn't mean to bring up a sore spot, not really, he was just bored, and he had assumed that she cared a lot about that necklace. Most people would go on and on for hours about something they really loved. Not Hermione he found out. He also stood up, and scooped all the rest in his arms. He locked the door on the way out, and decided they would have to do this next week. Not just because it was their duty, but because now he was genuinely curious about Hermione. She was hiding something, and he wanted to know.


	5. Among the Rafters

Hello! This is my favorite chapter so far. I think it is kind of funny. And there is some important information in here that leads up to chapter 6. Please review!!

Chapter 5 Among the Rafters

Hermione wasn't suprised when Draco told her that they should look through the attic this next weekend. She had been peacefully studying in the common room when he walked in hours later. She noted how his hair appeared to have been ruffled by feminine hands. She didn't envy those hands, but she inwardly cringed. He stopped near her table, and made a scene about checking what she was doing.

"What Malfoy, shouldn't you be using the attic while you still have the keys.?" She shot at him.

He made a mocked pain expression, and whistled low, "Damn Granger, you are one cynical little witch. Actually I just wanted to see if you want to finish with the attic next Saturday, because, as you know the weekend following that is the dance."

"Whatever Malfoy, just back off, I'll be there." With that she rose from her chair and gathered her belongings. She went directly to her room without sparing him so much as a backward glance. Malfoy stood planted and glared after her. He couldn't understand it. Here he as trying to make an effort to be decent to the little wench, when all she could do was turn her back on him. By his calculations she should be falling all over herself by now. Lord knows the rest of the female students were. So what if he had been mean to her for 6 years? He was Draco Malfoy. That should have been enough. But for some reason the thought sat uneasily with him. He continued to boost his own ego until he fell asleep.

Hermione sat up in bed playing with the broken locket. She had read that sometimes these things happened, and they all symbolized something. She couldn't put her finger on it. She wondered if this meant her dad had stopped loving her mom. Or that her mom had moved on to heaven. She sat there and stared for several minutes, trying to figure out the secret behind her shattered dream. Her thoughts returned to Malfoy, and she wondered what could have gotten into him to start asking personal questions. ' I can't even believe he pays that much attention to me. And Pansy?? For crying out loud she is the most obnoxious person I have ever met. Her voice is worse than nails on a chalk board.' These thoughts penetrated Hermione's mind until she nodded off to sleep.

A week sped by, and when Saturday rolled around she gave an inward groan, knowing that again she must ascend to the highest towers, and be locked away with all the decay, and Malfoy. She hoisted herself out of bed, and made no attempt to fix her appearance. She threw on the same outfit she wore on their last excursion, and then continued to the great hall. She was very early, and only a few students were milling around. She filled her bag with some food, and then continued back up to her dorm. She didn't want to waste more of the sunshine then she had to. She was looking forward to a walk on the grounds after this was all done.

She entered the common room and looked around for any sign of Draco. The room was vacant. She decided the best thing to do would be to try and wake him up, if indeed he had even made it to his bed that night. She walked over to the male Celtic warrior and made a loud cough. The statue raised his eyebrows, and puffed out his chest.

'Password" he grumbled, in a thick accent.

"Um... ferret..." Hermione giggled but the statue looked anything but amused.

"No Password, No Entrance" the statue said.

"I know, but Malfoy and I have to work on a project today, and well, you see, I wanted to get an early start, so I could do other things, and this is just so terribly inconvenient."

"You think you know bad? Try being woken up at all hours of the night." he grumbled.

"Please sir, may I have the password?"

"Not allowed." he said shaking his head.

Another voice spoke from across the room. "Give her the password love, she deserves it." Hermione recognized the soft spoken voice of her own warrior, and turned around with a brilliant smile for her.

"Alright, the password is Persephone, but you are going to tell him that he left the passage open, I doubt he would remember."

Hermione repeated the password, and gave the statue a warm smile. He slid slowly to the right, and let her pass. Hermione nearly choked when she entered Draco's chambers. All the curtains were drawn over the great windows, and it seemed stifling hot and musty in the room. She noticed the gentle rise and fall of Draco's chest beneath the blankets. She walked to the bedside, and decided on a very direct approach.

"Draco, get your lazy ass up!" she screamed, shaking him violently. Draco's eyes flew open and a look of alarm flickered across his face. When he finally focused he saw Hermione doing a very good impression of his famous smirk.

"What the hell was that for?" he snarled, rubbing his eyes.

"Unlike you Mr. Malfoy, I have a life, and I don't really feel like spending my entire Saturday up to my knees in dust. Now get up, we are leaving." she stated matter of factly. She turned around to go when she heard the springs of his mattress give way, indicating he was up. She turned slightly around to look at him, and gasped at what she saw. He sat at the edge of his bed completely nude. Hermione only looked for a split second, and then turned beet red. She rushed out of the room and threw herself on a sofa, praying Draco didn't notice her faux pas.

Draco smiled to himself. 'paybacks are a bitch huh Hermione?' He knew he would never be rudely awakened again, because he was sure she would rather die then see a naked man. 'My god, she really is the biggest prude I have ever met.'

With that he got out of bed and threw some clothes on. When he descended from his chamber 15 minutes later Hermione was nervously pacing the room. 'Today is the day Hermione, today I will find out that little secret you've been keeping from me.'

The two arrived at the large wooden door, and Draco was first to grab for the knob. They walked in silence all the way to the storage room, and after locating the key the two entered in silence. They hadn't spoken one word since his little display this morning. He knew Hermione was mortified. He decided if he was going to get anywhere however, he would need to start off by being nice. He noticed her munching on a biscuit, and decided that would be the route to take.

"Give me one of those." He stated motioning toward her breakfast.

"No, this is mine you jerk."

"From the looks of it you don't need any more fatty." he countered chuckling to himself.

"Chew on this you ferret," she said, lobbing a large petrified toad at his head.

"Oh really!" he screamed dodging the aerial assault. He quickly grabbed the nearest thing he could find, an old stuffed owl and chucked it her direction. She let out a high pitched squeal, and rolled from beneath it.

"Friend of the family, Malfoy?" She asked as she hurled a stuffed rat at him.

"Looks a lot like a Weasly doesn't it?" He laughed. By the end of their assault the two were clutching their sides and laughing desperately. Not really at what the other said, but none the less with each other.

"What in the bloody hell were they doing stuffing all of these animals. Did they have a weird fixation with their pets or something?" Draco laughed.

"I don't know, maybe it was for some kind of class." Hermione added a bit more seriously. After all the laughter died the two got down to business, with a bit of a lighter heart. After about 10 minutes Hermione yelled "Malfoy!" and right as he looked up she hit him square in the face with a biscuit. He caught it and threw her a lopsided grin.

"This your idea of a diet mudblood?" he asked. Hermione just glared and continued her work. Deep down Draco was thankful for the biscuit, he was starved, and for some reason he was actually almost having a little bit of fun with Granger. Almost...

"So, Um, how was your summer?" he asked, trying to break the ice. Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "Oh come on, I'm bored, just talk." he begged.

"It was terrible, I would really rather not talk about it."

"Yeah, mine sucked too." he said

"Oh what, only toured half the continent?" she asked bitterly. What the hell did a Malfoy know about suffering.

"No, actually, my mother left to visit family in the south of France, and I was left at home with my tyrannical father." Draco reasoned that if he wanted Hermione to open up, he would have to give a little first.

"Aren't you and your dad like two peas in a pod?" She asked after a moment of deliberation.

"We used to be," Draco replied after a moment of hesitation. He didn't really want to open up to anyone this much, especially not Hermione. But then he remembered the gowns. Hermione was careful with anything, not matter how much she loathed it. Maybe she would be careful with his pride. She didn't reply, and he decided he could go on. " Then last year, he started up with all of his Death Eater crap, and how I was the future of the Dark Arts. After all my resisting things just got bad" Draco sort of whispered the last part, and after a few moments looked up to meet the searching gaze of Hermione.

Hermione didn't know if he was telling the truth or not. She had thought of Draco as the future Death Eater of the world. She couldn't really believe that his father had to force him into his dark ways. But then she suddenly realized that she had never given him a chance. She never knew him. She decided to take the risk.

"You mean, you don't want to be a death eater?"

"No, not at all, but, I guess it is my heritage, look at the destruction our father's leave us. We can either clean it up, or join in." Hermione stayed still for a moment. A part of her wanted to pick up the petrified cat and hurl it at his big stupid Malfoy head, but another part of her wanted to believe him. There was no way she could be certain.

Draco glanced over at Hermione and could see the doubt cross her face. He didn't really care if she believed him. Did he? The thought angered him, and he spat, "Whatever, just forget it. I wouldn't expect someone with a perfect little family to understand anything that goes on outside of it."

After several tense minutes of silence Hermione decided to speak against her better judgment. Her voice was very quiet, and Draco had to strain to hear her. "I would understand Draco, I don't have a perfect little family anymore. At the beginning of this summer my family got into a car wreck. I watched my mother die. After that my dad sort of went off the deep end, and I wrote a letter to Dumbledore explaining to him why I wouldn't be returning to Hogwart's. My dad couldn't go back to work in his condition, so I took on two jobs. But, luckily I guess, my dad sort of snapped out of it, and went back to work. He was the one who forced me onto the train. It was a hard decision, but I did it." The tears, they fell like rain. Silent rain.

Draco stared at Hermione, and suddenly felt ashamed of himself for almost making a wager that he would find out what was up with her today. The feeling was new to him, and he squirmed uncomfortably. He made people cry all the time, but, he never actually cared. Maybe because this was the first time he had ever opened up, and received trust as his reward. He was never good at comforting his mother, so he decided remaining silent was the best plan.

After a few minutes Hermione regained her composure. She was genuinely shocked that she had opened up to anyone, especially Malfoy, she hadn't even told Harry and Ron about her letter to Dumbledore. But then she reasoned that she had to make Malfoy understand that he is not the only one who faces tough choices.

The two continued to dig through piles of old debris, and discarded animals. After a few hours, and a few comments they decided they were done. Draco had spent the time deliberating what Hermione had said. She too had experienced a great loss. He never thought that was possible. He continued to turn over the realization in his mind. There was only one thing left to ask.

"That locket had a picture of your parents in it didn't it?" He ventured.

She looked up at him a minute, and then shrugged, as if telling herself that there was no use lying. "Yeah, they gave it to me when I got my acceptance letter from Hogwarts. It used to be my mother's. She loved it very much. I keep it under my pillow." With that she stood up and dusted off her jeans.

"And there's no way to fix it?" he asked, seeming truly curious.

"Not that I have found, and none of the professors know how to fix jewelry." With that the two again loaded up their arms and trudged back down to their dorm. They both went to their rooms without so much as a goodnight, and they both spent a fair amount of time digesting what the other had said today. They knew this didn't change anything, they weren't friends. Hell, they didn't even really like each other, but for some reason a new respect formed out of the days events.


	6. Hogwarts, a History

Hey everyone! Here it is the big dance we have all been waiting for. Sorry if it doesn't go exactly as you would have hoped, but I have something big planned for our duo in the next few chapters, and I promise the mystery of the locket iwll be solved. Thanks. Please review, and give me any tips or suggestions as to where you would like me to take this story. I have a really good idea, but I don't want to make you mad by doing something a little outrageous. Thanks! Phaedra

Chapter 6 Hogwarts, a History

After Hermione was sure the Great Hall was decorated to it's fullest extent she went to her dorm. She checked the time, and reasoned she had about an hour until the dance started. Draco had helped with the decorations a little, but was too wrapped up in his own little world to be much help. Hermione went into her room, and directly to the bath. She cleaned herself up, and then changed into her costume. She had asked Harry if he would like to be Lord Gryffindor, and he was ecstatic. He had a few invites, but didn't really feel like leading some poor girl on. Ron had already had a date for the past month, some 6th year from Ravenclaw.

Hermione did her hair and makeup, it was all light, and very charming. She did a spell to turn her hair into beautiful loose ringlets, and then tied them up on the crown of her head. A few loose tendrils cascaded around her cheeks. She went back into her room, and noticed she only had a few minutes to spare. She raced around trying to locate the delicate slippers. When she finally found them she sat on the edge of her bed and slipped her stocking feet into the soft fabric. She looked around her room, and then towards her pillow. On top of it was a gold box with a maroon bow tied around it.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she moved towards the little box. She assumed Harry must have snuck in and left her a present, but when she glanced at the card the handwriting wasn't the same. The card read: Hermione, Maybe this will help heal your broken heart.

She puzzled at the meaning, but lifted the gold lid. Inside lay her locket, gleaming, and freshly polished. She pulled on the chain, and the entire thing came up out of the box. Somehow someone had fixed her locket. She thought very hard about who knew where it was. Then it dawned on her. She had let it slip to Draco that she kept the locket hidden under her pillow. But then she reasoned that even if Malfoy was a friend he wouldn't go to all that trouble to do something nice. It just wasn't in his nature. Or was it?

Hermione clasped the necklace around her neck, and raced from the room, tears glistening her eyes. She hurried to the Great Hall, and was amazed at how beautiful it turned out. There were candles suspended from the ceiling, and all the faculty were there, dressed to the nines. She smiled warmly at them, and scanned the still empty room for Draco. She just had to know if it was him who had fixed her locket. After her efforts were returned fruitlessly she walked around the room surveying her handy work. The dance was slated to being in 15 minutes. She wondered if she should go up to the Gryffindor common room and collect Harry.

"Ms. Granger! The Great Hall looks magnificent!" Professor McGonagall raved.

"Thank you. We all did a lot of work." she said graciously.

"And congratulations to you and Mr. Malfoy. I understand that you two put in quite the effort to find all of these great artifacts" she complimented bringing her arm up in an arc, signifying all the decorations.

"Yeah, it wasn't that big of a deal. But I have to run off and find Harry, he's my date." Hermione excused herself with that and a smile.

Hermione walked back out of the Great Hall, and pressed her back against the cool stones. She brought her hands up to her locket and held it securely in her palm. She stared straight ahead with unseeing eyes. 'Who would do this?' she questioned to her self. After a few more moments of deliberation she pushed herself off the wall and continued to the stair case. She was headed for the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione stated the password to the fat lady, and was admitted entrance. She walked through the narrow corridor that opened up to a warmly lit room. She heard hoarse laughter, and a few shrieks. When she emerged several sets of eyes were fastened to her.

"What? What is it?" She asked, slightly annoyed.

"Jeeze Hermione, you sure clean up nice." Said Ron with a big goofy smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah, you look really pretty Hermione." Offered Colin Creevy.

"Well, thanks fellas", Hermione said, scanning the room for her date. "Has anyone seen Harry?"

"Oh, yeah, he told us to tell you, that he would be running a little late, and to just head down to the dance without him." Answered Ron while staring nervously at his feet.

"What's the point of having a date if you walk into a place by yourself?" She growled angrily. "What's he doing anyways?"

"Uh, he said he wanted it to be a surprise." Ginny squeaked, Hermione noticing her for the first time.

"Well, whatever, I have to go down there now, and you three should set a good example for the first years, they don't need to know that you are staying up here drinking butter beers before the dance." Hermione finished with a flourish of her gown as she spun towards the exit.

"How the bloody hell did she know we were doing that?" Asked Ron incredulously.

"Hermione didn't become head girl for nothing, she knows everything." Finished Ginny in an awed whisper.

As Hermione huffed down the stairs she recounted their conversation. Harry went to do something, and he would be late. 'What could he possibly be doing?' she wondered, 'unless of course he had a certain locket to fix, and a certain restricted muggle jewelry book to return.' With that thought Hermione changed her path and headed towards the library. She picked up her pace, but unfortunately the hem of her gown was much too long. Hermione stepped on the delicate fabric, and with all movement restricted she ended up face planting it right outside the library door.

She lay motionless for a few moments, assessing all of her body parts, and being just too exhausted with the way her night was going to care much. Hermione heard the soft click of the library door closing, and turned her head in time to see a very dark figure skirting the wall around her lifeless form. 'Well whoever that is has no manners. If I saw a poor helpless girl laying face down in a rug I would at least have the courtesy to nudge her a little.' She though bitterly. The figure never stopped moving, if anything, it picked up it's pace. Then she noticed it. She would have recognized that costume anywhere. The silver and green accents, and the large embroidered S gave it away. It was the costume Draco had planned to wear to the dance.

Hermione remained in the exact same position she had landed in. This was bordering about 5 minutes now, but she no longer cared, she had a mystery to solve. 'What was Malfoy doing in the library? Maybe he was looking for a nasty hex to put on someone.' Her mind would not allow her to think of the possibility that he was there for the very reason she thought Harry would be. 'Malfoy is a creep, and that is all there is to it' She said to herself. She planted her hands on the ground and forced herself up. She might was well go to the dance, and see if she could find some answers there, because she was certain the rug would do no talking.

Hermione re-entered the Great Hall, and noticed that she was late. there were already several students gathered in small groups. She decided she should do her rounds, as head girl, and make sure there was no mischief going on. After she secured the perimeter, and was sure everything was in order she headed for the refreshment table. After helping herself to a glass of some green liquid, she turned her attention to the front dais. Dumbledore stood up, and began a speech.

"Students, welcome to the Winter Festival. Please give a round of applause to the committee for doing such an excellent job." a loud chorus of applause filled the room. "Now, as you know, this marks the end of the first term. Tomorrow you will all be on vacation, whether at your own homes, or here within these walls. Please enjoy your break, and be careful, evil can take many forms." Hermione sighed, this was similar to a muggle public service announcement about the dangers of drinking and driving. "Now, with that, please enjoy your night. As tradition calls for, may I please have the head boy and girl to the front."

Hermione froze with her glass halfway to her lips. 'What tradition?? What did I forget??' she screamed inside. She was positive she looked much like a deer in headlights. Again most of the room was looking directly at her. She couldn't see Draco from where she was standing, but she was sure he had the same stupid smirk on his face. She placed her glass back on the table, and began moving through clusters of students to the front of the Hall. She reached the front only moments after Draco, and the two stared at each other with something akin to shock on their faces.

Dumbledore raised his right arm, and the band struck up a soft melody. "The first dance!" Announced the headmaster proudly sweeping his arm in the direction of a very dismayed couple. Draco made the first move. He casually sauntered up the Hermione, and reached out. She cringed, but accepted the invitation.

Draco began to lead her in a very formal waltz. A few cheers rose from somewhere in the room, and Hermione scowled out at the gawking audience. Draco looked completely at ease, but he stared slightly to the left of her face. This troubled Hermione. 'What is so damn interesting behind me?' She wondered, tempted to turn and see for herself. Then she remembered what had been puzzling her all night. "Did you fix my locket?" She asked point blank, staring into his face looking for any sign of guilt.

"Have you come off your rocker Granger?" He asked coldly, only looking directly into her eyes from a split second.

"No," she hissed, "Someone came into my room, and fixed my locket, there was no name on the note, I just thought maybe you would have done it."

"Yeah, I make a point of doing nice things for people I hate," he said quietly. "Or did you think we were friends?"

Hermione glared at him with all the wrath she was feeling inside. "No, I never thought we were friends, hell, I never even thought you were human, I've had better conversations with Crookshanks than with you." She said acidly. Draco continued to look a little to the left of her face. Hermione had had just about all she could take for one evening. She decided she had nothing left to lose, so she went for it. "What were you doing in the library?"

"Returning a book," muttered Draco.

"Oh really, what was it about?" she asked sarcastically

"How to hex annoying witches. Can you stop talking now?" he said with a shrug.

Hermione looked toward the crowd, and then to the band. Anywhere but at Malfoy. ' I can't believe I was right about the hexes. What made me think Malfoy was capable of doing something nice for someone in the first place? The dance continued, and Hermione suddenly noticed how very close they were. His hands were warm and gentle on her lower back. She should have been repulsed by his close proximity, but for some reason his light touch didn't make her gag.

Draco stole a quick glance at Hermione while she was focused on something on the wall. she looked radiant. He could have sworn she was glowing. The gown had looked like it was made for her, unlike Pansy. No matter how many charms she tried, the dress still hung loosely, like a burlap sack. A tiny part of Draco wished his date was half as beautiful as Hermione. 'What are you thinking? She always has some stupid question to ask. Too damn nosy if you ask me. Sure, she looks alright, but I couldn't stand more then five minutes with her.' He refused to think about the hours they had spent alone in the attic, and the fun he almost had with her.

The song finally ended, and the two separated, Malfoy with his accustomed smirk, and Hermione with a toss of her head. The two charged in opposite directions. Malfoy walked up to his group, and endured a few painful elbows to his stomach from both Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy looked sullen as she swished her glass of punch, like it was some sort of alcohol. Draco moved away from his two attackers and stood next to his date.

"Sure looked like you were having fun out there." Pansy spat.

"Oh don't be dramatic, I liked that as much as you did. What was I supposed to do, tell Dumbledore to go to hell?" Draco asked through gritted teeth. He hated inquisitive girlfriends.

"Well you could have stood a little farther away." She pouted.

"Well next time I am forced to dance with a mudblood I will wear a rubber suit." He said, being as cold and sarcastic as he could muster.

"Let's go," she whined.

"The dance just started." He reasoned.

"I don't care, there are better things we can do then waste our time with these losers." She stated. She pulled on Draco's arm and began leading him from the Hall. He followed her shapeless form to the door. Noting that he wouldn't want to stay here either in an outfit that hideous, especially after watching her dance with someone like Harry Potter. The two slid out the door, seemingly unnoticed.

Hermione watched as the two made a run for it. 'Go figure, he couldn't even wait five minutes. So disgusting.' She made a face at the closed door. After a quick scan of the room she saw Ron's tall figure, and walked toward their group. She couldn't explain why she felt a little disappointed that it wasn't Malfoy that had fixed her locket. She reasoned that it was just because she had opened herself up to him, and she was to quick to assume everyone had a bit of good in them

When Hermione reached the crowd she noticed her date among the other heads bent in a tight circle. She coughed loudly, and a few faces peered up at her.

"Oh Hermione, you gotta check this out." Said Harry excitedly.

Hermione assumed it must be the surprise he had told the others about. She squeezed into the circle and looked down at Harry's hands. Inside he held a tiny baby bird. "I hope you don't plan on letting that loose in here." she told Harry with discouragement in her voice.

"No, No! This is the surprise I was telling you all about. I'm going to give this to Hagrid for Christmas. I'm putting all of our names on the card. It's called an Armouralas. It's supposed to bring good fortune to whomever owns it and keeps it happy. It's really rare!" He whispered to his co-conspirators. Hermione glanced at the bird, and then pondered the question still fresh in her mind. If that was Harry's surprise then he didn't mean her locket. She decided to take a stab at it anyway.

"Harry, did you fix my locket?" She asked. Several students in the circle looked up.

He spared her a look for about half a second, and then went back to playing with his bird. "No 'Mione, wasn't me."

With that Hermione turned away from the group. She wandered around the dance for awhile longer, not wanting to catch Pansy and Draco in her common room. She danced with Colin, who was wide eyed and adorable. She danced a few times with Harry, and once with Ron. The night continued to drag on. Hermione decided she had had enough. When she was sure the group was again engrossed with the bird she slipped out the door. She walked back to her common room at a feverish pace. She kept repeating 'tomorrow I will be home, tomorrow I will be home.' until she reached the statues. She shrugged as she said the password, and decided that the mystery could wait until after the winter break.


	7. Vacation of Unrest

Here it is! Chapter 7. Bare with this chapter it might seem a little slow, but it's important to the whole flow of the rest of the story. I'm so happy because I finally mapped out the rest of the story, so now it is only a matter of how fast my hands can type it. I promise it will be good! Be patient, the mystery will be solved in the next chapter (already in the works). Please review!!!

Chapter 7 Vacation of Unrest

Hermione stepped from the platform at Kings Cross and searched through the crowd for the familiar face of her father. After scanning twice she noticed him frantically waving his arms above the mass of commuters. Hermione plastered a huge smile on her face and began jogging over to him.

When she reached her father he threw his arms open wide, and she gave him a tight embrace. The two laughed merrily as they spun in circles. Hermione never wanted to let go. She released her firm grip and took a step back pretending to examine her father. She was dismayed at what she saw. His normally well kept hair was in sad disarray, and was graying at a rapid pace. His eyes appeared to be a duller color, and the bags beneath them seemed to stretch down to his hollow cheeks. He looked very gaunt, and Hermione suddenly became sick to her stomach. She grabbed his hand and began leading him to the parking lot. His hand was tough and leathery feeling. She willed herself not to cry. 'I never should have left him alone. He's dying too, very slowly.' Her thoughts were interrupted by her father's calm voice.

"Hermione! What's the hurry? You act as though a pack of wolves are on our tails!" He said chuckling. "Did you make someone angry at school?" winking down at his daughter.

"No Dad, I'm just starving, I didn't eat anything on the train." she lied. From the looks of it, her father hadn't eaten anything in days.

"Oh, well, alright. Where would you like to eat?" He asked, swinging their clasped hands back and forth smiling cheerfully. Hermione sighed, she knew he was just putting on the happy face to keep her from worrying. He didn't want her to drop out of school. 'I bet he was up all night cleaning the house so I didn't think he was some sort of helpless slob. Poor dad.' She pondered.

"I think I would like some soup and sandwiches." She replied.

"Sounds good, I know just the place."

The two walked down several blocks, Hermione telling him all about being head girl, and the time she had to spend with Malfoy. Her father appeared to be quite interested, but she could tell he wasn't really listening because a few times he said "Oh really?" when he should have said " I know." Simple things like that. Hermione decided that she should continue to talk anyways, because if she suddenly grew quiet he would know it was his fault. She rambled on about the dance, and about her dormitory. Her father wheeled her in front of an old wooden building. The sign said "HOT S ND ICH S" because several of the bulbs were burned out. Hermione silently prayed that they weren't mugged while dining in such an establishment.  
The two spent their day milling around London, going into various shops, and laughing about previous holidays. Her father again grew quiet, and Hermione assumed that he was thinking about this being his first Christmas without his wife in the past 20 years. He sighed deeply and pulled the collar of his coat tighter around his face. This change did not go unnoticed by his daughter.

"I'm ready to go home dad. It was a really long week at school." she said stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. The sun was setting and casting an eerie orange glow on the few snowflakes falling. Her father nodded his head in agreement and they turned back to the train station.

Hermione was the first to unlock the door because her dad's hands were filled with packages they had bought earlier that day. She pushed the door open and stood with a look of horror on her face. The curtains were all dark and drawn over the windows. A flashback of the way Malfoy's room had looked flickered across her eyes. The apartment smelled terrible, like stale cigarette smoke and old take-out. She drew in a few quick breaths as she heard her father lumbering up the stairs. 'This is what he lives in? This hole? This pit of despair? Oh mother would never forgive me if I left him like this.' Her mind screamed at her. She quickly stepped over a pile of old newspapers scattered in front of the door and made toward the couch.

On the once beautiful oak coffee table were several stains and a full ashtray. The ashes had flown all over the once bright surface. She looked down at the floor and an empty bottle of scotch was laying on it's side, partially concealed by the couch. Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes. Everything was just so terrible here. 'It's my fault, if I hadn't wanted to go to the beach mom would still be alive.' She cried internally.

Her father kicked his way into the apartment and closed the door behind him. He made a big scene of tossing this way and that with all the bags. "Little help here?" He pleaded in a muffled voice. Hermione rose from the couch in a trance of disbelief. She reached out a took several bags and made a motion to set them on the stained couch. Her father noticed the shock in her eyes.

"Uh, I know it's a little different then you remember 'Mione, but I've been really busy. I meant to clean up." He offered.

Hermione refused to look at him. "Oh, it's fine dad, it is just a little bit of a shock." she said flatly staring around the room in utter disbelief. There wasn't even a Christmas tree. She started walking towards her room.

"I'm really tired, goodnight." She said softly.

"Oh, um, alright, goodnight then." He stammered, looking longingly at his daughter's retreating back.

Hermione closed her door gently and shut her eyes. She pressed her back against the smooth surface and slid down into a sitting position. She was afraid to open her eyes and see the destruction of her bed room. She forced them open and heaved a sigh of relief. The room was exactly as she had left it. It was virtually untouched by the devastating hurricane that was her father's misery.

She sat in that position for a long time, tears she didn't even know she was crying were sliding down her face. After several long minutes she forced herself up and laid down in her bed. She could hear her father putting ice in a glass, and assumed he had another bottle of scotch hidden somewhere. she fell asleep knowing her life was forever changed.

Draco had been met at the station by his mother. She was still beautiful. He offered her a genuine smile and his arm as the two walked to the car. His mother held him tightly.

"I've missed you terribly Draco." she said in her soft musical voice.

"As have I mother, as have I." He remarked distantly.

They drove in relative silence to Malfoy Manner. Draco silently wondered what was in store for him on this return visit home. He was sure something bad was going to happen. It always did.

"Is Dad home?" He asked while toying with the electric window buttons.

"No dear, he won't be home until tomorrow. It's just you and me. What shall we do first?" She asked running her soft hands down his face. She noticed the remote look in his eyes, and felt a moment of stabbing guilt.

"If it's all the same I just want to go to sleep in my own bed. Tomorrow perhaps we can do something." He offered loftily.

"Oh, of course, I understand." She said, dropping her arm back onto the seat. The rest of the long trip was spent immersed in the musical talents of Bach.

Hermione woke up early the next day and dressed quietly. she had decided last night before she went to sleep that she was going to clean up the house and try to snap her father out of his depression. She opened her door and looked in the direction of her father's bedroom. She could hear him snoring, and that satisfied her. Hermione decided she would start with the living room first. She spent nearly an hour in that one room alone. the table was cleaned, the trash thrown away, the decorations dusted, and the curtains wide open. She even dared to let the chilly December breeze into the room to air out the stench. The room looked more like she remembered, not exactly, but close. She moved onto the kitchen, which was even worse than the living room. After nearly two hours of scrubbing and straightening she decided to give it a rest.

She slipped down the hall and rested her ear against her father's door. She could no longer hear him snoring, but she heard the tell-tale sound of a lighter being struck. She rolled her eyes and decided she would have to work on that one some other time. Hermione felt exhausted in both body and spirit. She walked back to her room and decided a little nap was in order. 'Tomorrow is Christmas, and if I'm not careful, dad may forget it entirely.'

She woke up to the sound of very loud whistling. It was a barely recognizable Christmas carol. Hermione squealed with joy and flew out of her bed. Her father was up! And singing to boot! She hurried down the hall nervously trying to fix her hair. She turned the corner to the kitchen in time to see her father putting a bottle back in the freezer. She stopped dead in her tracks. She scanned the counter top and saw a carton of eggnog. She smiled lightly and assured herself that loads of people drink rum and eggnog. This didn't mean her dad had a problem.

"Hermione!" He greeted while turning around. "The most amazing thing happened last night."

"What's that?" She asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"Why the angels came down and cleaned our house up for Christmas. Isn't it wonderful. I knew your mother would hear my prayers. Come let's celebrate."

A look of confusion crossed Hermione's face as her father clapped her and the shoulder spinning her around. 'Angels? He can't be serious. He couldn't have gone daft!' She followed him into the spotless living room.

"So you like how the place looks?" she prodded.

"Of course, miracles are always beautiful." He replied wistfully.

"Um, dad, you do know I did this don't you?" She asked searching his face. When she saw the flicker of disappointment in his eyes her heart stopped. Her father had actually believed angels had cleaned the house. He continued forcing a smile he no longer felt.

"Oh, uh, yes of course, I knew that. Thanks for the help Hermione, but you didn't have to go to so much trouble." He finished. He placed the glass to his lips and finished his drink in one long gulp. He set the cup onto the freshly polished coffee table letting a solitary drop land on it's surface. Hermione frowned. Her father stood up and stretched.

"Well kid, I gotta run to the store for a few things. I'll be back in just a little bit. I bought some of those frozen dinners for you, but I should be back before then." He said reaching for his coat. He smiled one last time at his daughter and opened the door.

"Wait! Dad can't I come with you?" She pleaded.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry sweet heart. This is important, uh, stuff that I uh, have to do. It would just bore you." He lied, never making eye contact. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." He said as he walked out the door.

Hermione stared after him for a long time. She could not fit all the pieces together. Had her father really believed that the divine had some hand in his house keeping? What was he really doing today? She wondered. She fell asleep on the couch waiting for an explanation that would never come.

Draco woke up unusually early the next morning. He dressed quickly and went in search of his mother. He hadn't meant to be cruel to her yesterday, and wanted to make it up to her. He walked down the main corridor and passed his father's study. He heard the muffled voices, and prayed he wouldn't hear him.

"Draco, in here, now." Came a stern voice from the other side of the door. Draco froze in his tracks and hung his head. He walked slowly to the entrance and turned the knob. Inside the room were three adults. Draco's father was sitting behind his large desk, and two fidgety gentlemen were seated across from him.

"Please excuse me gentlemen, my son has just returned from school and we have much to talk about. You will find refreshments out on the north lawn. I will meet you there shortly." He dismissed the men with one decisive nod. They both stood and made sullen greetings to Draco. After the door closed his father started in on him.

"Sit down boy." He commanded. Draco obeyed. "A few important members of the wizarding world have brought it to my attention that you have been spending unnecessary amounts of time with that mudblood Granger." His father drawled. Draco remained motionless. "I had to spend a great deal of time telling them about your circumstances as head boy. You will under no condition spend any more excess time in the presence of that filth. I expect you understand." He finished.

"Yes sir. Believe me I would not spend any more time with her then I would absolutely have to. I hate her, and I should hope there will be no further confusion." He replied smoothly with his jaw clenched.

"Yes, well Draco," his father continued, pacing around his study, "we all seem to know that you have an incessant sweet tooth for the forbidden. Let me remind you that I will not have some muggle born bastard running around with so much as a drop of our noble blood. The consequences would be quite grave indeed. I will not have some poor mudblood whore begging on our front steps for a hand out for her and your child. I don't think I need to inform you of the drastic measures I would take to ensure a stable reputation for you and this family. Now, go amuse your mother. We will continue this after dinner." He sneered with a flick of his wrist indicating the door.

Draco stood up stiffly and walked with his head held high. When he made it out into the corridor he expelled the breath he had been holding during his father's entire speech. He turned on his heel and headed back up to his room.

Hermione spent the rest of her vacation trying to fix what was wrong with her father. She realized it was going to take more then she could give. He was drinking and smoking, and talking to himself. He didn't eat, he barely bathed, and he rarely slept. He was slowly losing his mind and there was nothing Hermione could do to stop it. She dreaded the thought of leaving him again, especially in his present state. She couldn't handle the thought of losing her father too. She begged for him to seek some sort of help, but he would just shrug off her attempts and make a brilliant facade of normalcy. Only in the late hours of the night when Hermione would sit outside his bedroom door could she glimpse what he had become.

Her father constantly talked to himself and his deceased wife. He told her how lovely she looked, and what they were going to do that weekend. He often finished his romantic trysts with the dead by smashing his empty liquor bottle against the bedroom wall and cursing loudly. Hermione decided there was only one person who could fix her father, one who could make him whole again. That person was her mother, and Hermione swore to herself that she would bring her back.


	8. Returning Favors

Hey everyone! The mystery is finally solved. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed, but after I started it I had way too many ideas for my own good. I can't wait for the next few. Your jaws are gonna drop! Please review with any suggestions or comments. Thanks.

Chapter 8 Returning Favors

Hermione returned to Hogwarts late in the afternoon. She had hidden away in a vacant compartment and locked the door. A blissful two hours of undisturbed sleep followed. She squinted towards the castle brining her arm up to her eyes to shield the icy rays of sun. She hurried through the crowds of students hoping to be left alone.

She scrambled up the front stairs at a gallop, wanting nothing more then to continue her dreamless sleep. At that very moment Hermione felt like she could sleep forever. She was confused and scared, and feeling extremely guilty for leaving her father behind. She was also furious with him. She could understand grief, she too had lost the same person, but she couldn't understand rolling over and giving up. She was lost in fervent thought as she walked up to the two statues.

"Unity" she said firmly. She immediately looked up and smiled, not meaning to be harsh. The statues barely regarded her and slid to the side. She walked into the common room and slung her bag onto one of the couches. She felt like breaking things. She felt like making a horrible mess. 'After all, I did just spend the last week scrubbing and cleaning up for my father.'

Hermione looked around the room and her eyes zeroed in on an unsuspecting paper weight. She picked it up and hurled it against the wall. She stood with a shocked look in her eyes, and then slowly a smile spread across her face. 'Yes, that felt good, it didn't shatter, probably didn't even crack, but good nonetheless.' She said with satisfaction. After rummaging through her bag she looked up nervously at wall and where the paper weight had landed. She walked over to where it rested and replaced it on the table. It just wasn't in her nature to be destructive.

Hermione continued on to her own bedroom and slept through the entire day. When she woke up she couldn't tell what time it was. She rolled out of bed and planted both her feet firmly on the floor. She was filled with frustration, she knew there were a thousand things she should be doing instead of lying in bed like a great lump. She attempted to straighten her mussed hair but gave up when she realized the only one who could be in the common room was Malfoy. She slowly walked back out into the lounge and surveyed the area. Her eyes caught on a piece of paper, held down by the innocent paper weight. She moved closer, apprehensively. She reasoned that it wouldn't be below Malfoy to buy trick exploding paper as a welcome back surprise.

She hovered directly above the sheet of parchment she narrowed her eyes to read what was scribbled across the top:

"We have a perfect/head meeting tonight at 8. Tried to tell you but you snore too loud." Malfoy

Hermione grimaced. 'Do I really snore?' she thought frantically. Then the important thing hit her. She had a meeting at 8 o'clock that night, and she wasn't even sure if it was still the same day. She raced up to the mantel and read the clock. She sighed in relief it was only 6:45, she had plenty of time.

She walked leisurely to the bathroom and indulged in a scented bath. After that she laid around her room and started to unpack some of her things. Her mind drifted back to the note. She stood up and her jaw dropped. She raced out of her room and dove for the note on the table. She recognized his handwriting, she had seen it somewhere else, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Then she screamed. She ran back to her room with the note clenched tightly in her fist. She opened the drawer in her nightstand and pulled out the little gold box. She held Malfoy's crumpled note next to the perfect one attached to the box. The writing was identical.

'What a jerk!' Hermione whined, 'Why wouldn't he just tell me that he fixed it, I wasn't going to make a scene or anything.' Then it hit her. That was probably the first nice thing Draco had ever done for someone and he didn't know how to handle appreciation. Hermione smiled despite herself. She knew she had to do something nice for him in return so he wouldn't feel like it wasn't worth it.

She toyed with her locket as she replayed the days they had spent together. She searched her memory for anything he might have said he liked. Then it hit her like a lightning bolt. Draco had a secret love of a certain kind of muggle candy bar that he could only get when his parents weren't looking. She smiled broadly and reached for a sheet of parchment.

She quickly scrawled a note to her father naming the candy bar with directions to buy her an entire case. She dressed quickly and hurried up to the owlery. By time she was finished with that she headed toward the meeting room. She walked in a few minutes late, which seemed to be a new habit with her. The perfects gawked at her momentarily before she took the nearest seat. She looked around and noticed that McGonagall was not there yet. Her eyes continued to wander until they locked on to Malfoy. He was staring directly at her. Hermione ripped her gaze away and felt a rush of self conscienceness spread over her body. She fidgeted nervously with the ends of her hair and refused to look up. She didn't have to, she already knew he was smirking.

The meeting passed relatively fast, and was mainly about the success of the Winter Festival and about upcoming plans for the perfects. Hermione paid little attention to the proceedings. Her attention was spent musing how she would act when Malfoy discovered her present and realized it was her. 'Oh I can't wait to throw it all back in his face' she said to herself, smiling.

The next morning at breakfast three school owls dropped a large box into Hermione's lap. She new her father wouldn't let her down because he felt miserable about the way the visit went. She beamed widely when several Gryffindors gathered around her asking what she got. She shrugged the crowd off and said it was a gift for someone. Ron and Harry exchanged knowing glances, and both said "Ah Hermione! How sweet." with out stretched hands. She swatted at their greedy paws and stood up from her meal.

"This is not for you two naughty little boys." She smiled at the two and walked out of the common room. Hermione hurried to her dorm hoping that Draco was still incredibly occupied with his stupid girlfriend. She stated the password at the entrance and then walked nervously toward the male Celtic warrior.

"Persephone" she whispered. the statue just shook his head slightly and slid open. She took the package out of the box and set it neatly on his pillow. There were 24 candy bars in the container. 'Enough to give Malfoy and upset stomach for a week.' She thought cheerfully. She placed a bow on the top and turned to leave. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She turned fully around a saw the movement of a photograph. She timidly stepped closer, almost expecting Draco to leap from the closet. She could only make out a corner of the picture. Hermione slowly pushed her hand into his nightstand drawer and withdrew the photograph. She stared at it wide eyed. It was a picture of her and Draco dancing at the Winter Festival.

She searched her brain and couldn't remember having her picture taken. She grimaced. 'Why would Malfoy have this, especially in his nightstand?' she wondered. She looked again at the picture, neither of them looked very happy, but they did make a rather stunning pair in those costumes. She looked over he shoulder and stole one last quick glance at the photo before storing it back in it's hiding place.

Hermione walked out of Draco's dorm and moved distractedly to her own room. 'No, really, it makes no sense. Why would Draco keep a picture of us? Seriously this doesn't add up. If everyone got a picture of who they were paired up with, why didn't I get one?' she pondered. This was going to be a very long night. Hermione laid on her bed and stretched out. 'Thank goodness tomorrow is Sunday, I'll have a whole day to make myself sick wondering about this.' With that she fell asleep.

Draco entered the common room relatively early that evening. He had just had a fight with Pansy. She had complained about him never inviting her to the head dormitory, and he had shrugged her off with some lie about the rules. She was fuming and had stormed away. Draco ignored her dramatic outburst, but her words lingered in his mind. 'Why didn't he invite his girlfriend into his dorm, at least the common room?' Then it clicked. Hermione never invited anyone there, and out of mutual respect he refrained from doing it also. 'I would snap if I walked in and saw Potter or Weasley sitting on my couch.' The thought sat uneasily with him. He never went out of his was to respect someone, especially not Granger, but he had to admit that since their confessions a few weeks ago he had a new understanding of her.

Draco paced around the common room bored out of his mind. He almost hoped Hermione would walk in just so he would have something to do, even if it was dodging hexes. Finally after about an hour of moping around he went to his own room. As he walked through the door he pulled his robes and his shirt up over his head. He tossed them into a heap on the floor and he began running his hands through his own hair. He was frustrated and that was all there was to it.

He glanced around the room and noticed the object on his pillow. He walked cautiously up to it. He reached out an removed the enormous bow, and underneath was a box of his favorite muggle candy. 'Who the... Pansy must have felt bad... but wait! She doesn't know I like this junk.' After a moment of deliberation Malfoy's face lost it's color. 'Granger, I told her I liked these... oh the note! Damn!' he swore, hitting himself on the forehead. He never meant for her to find out, he didn't do it because he liked her, or because he felt pity, he did it because he understood how she felt. He used to wear a ring on his finger, he lost it last summer. He never felt the same without it.

Before he even knew what he was doing he charged across the common room and began screaming through the closed statue.

"Granger, get out here. NOW!" he yelled, hitting the stone walls with his fists. This continued for about five minutes, until he heard the statue sliding to the side. He jumped out of the way.

"What do you want Malfoy?" She asked bitterly, rubbing her eyes.

"Why did you do it?" He demanded.

"Do what?" She said loudly removing her hands from her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Draco standing in front of her half naked. She couldn't stop staring, and her eyes continued no higher than his well defined chest.

"You know, the damn candy." He spat angrily.

"Have you gone daft?" She asked coldly, mimicking his tone from the dance.

"Granger, stop, I know you did it. Why?" He said firmly, but a bit quieter.

"I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about." She said whipping back around heading for her bedroom. Draco grabbed her arm and squeezed a little harder than he intended. He felt her flinch. He relaxed his hold and spun her around. He searched her face and saw a tiny bit of fear in her eyes. He dropped his hand and stepped back.

"I just want to know why you did that." He pleaded softly staring at the ground.

"Well, Malfoy, in a civilized society, when someone does something nice it is often reciprocated. I didn't know you would freak out like this. Don't worry, it will never happen again." She said angrily turning and walking back into the darkness.

Draco stared at the opening for a long time, hoping that maybe she would re-emerge and throw an insult at him. He could easily deal with those, but not with kindness. He slowly walked back to his own room and looked at the box on his pillow. He felt terrible, and he couldn't explain why. This was the first time someone had done something nice for him, aside from his mother. The feelings were all new to Draco.

He reached into his nightstand and pulled out the picture of himself and Hermione. He didn't know why he asked Colin to take it. He had lied and told him it was for a scrap book. Draco stared at the picture and then threw it to the ground. He refused to think about it. He stuffed the candy bars under his bed and jumped under the blankets. 'I'll deal with her tomorrow.' He said to himself before falling asleep.


	9. Blurring the Line

Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews. Sorry it took me so long, I have been really busy! Anyways, sorry this chapter is so short, and not really all that exciting, but it's needed to establish some things. I apologize if Hermione seems a bit out of character, but keep in mind that she is very hurt about her father, and is so desperate she isn't thinking straight. Anyways, sorry about the mini cliff hanger at the end, but I promise you'll like the next chapter, it's really important. Please review, I really appreciate it, it motivates me.

Chapter 9 Blurring the Line

Another week crept by, but Hermione barely noticed it. She was engrossed in her plans to save her father. She stayed up all hours of the night and did extensive research. The bookcase McGonagall had set up for her was working nicely, there were no restricted selections, and no howlers when one was late.

Hermione decided she would start with white magic. She browsed hundreds of books, but the only thing contained in their weathered bindings were healing charms, nothing so useful as bringing back the dead. Hermione grew more despondent, and saw less and less of her fellow classmates.

When Hermione wasn't studying she spent most of her time wrapped tightly in her cloak walking along the shores of the lake. She knew she was desperate, and she clung to that knowledge. She figured that as long as she knew she was crazy she wasn't really crazy. All her spare moments were spent far away in her mind, misery closing in. This was her last chance, her final hope to have a normal life. She shook the thought of being an orphan out of her head.

Hermione woke up on Monday feeling a little refreshed, in fact, the best she had felt since she returned to Hogwart's. She hurried into the bathroom and enjoyed a hot shower. She was ready for lessons earlier than usual, but that didn't bother Hermione. She had something big planned today. She was going to start searching through books on the dark arts. She smiled a little to herself, she felt almost a rush of warmth inside. She was sure she would find the answers to her problem soon.

Hermione dutifully went to class, even though her enthusiasm was beginning to hinder her performance. She decided she couldn't wait until after lessons, so she headed to the library for a quick research session during lunch. She walked aimlessly up and down several narrow aisles, glancing occasionally at a book that caught her eye. She had never really studied the dark arts, unless for an assignment, so the territory was foreign. She stopped in front of a collection of dark leather bound books, and began reading their spines. Her scrutiny was interrupted by the soft sounds of whispers one row over.

"Are you sure the meeting has been moved to tomorrow?" A confused sounding girl asked.

"Yeah, positive, he said he had another thing he had to do tonight." An assertive voice responded.

"Ack! When do we get to start doing more advanced spells?" The first girl questioned.

"I don't know, he said something about bringing back the dead last week. Wouldn't that be the coolest? We would be unstoppable!" The second girl squealed.

Hermione had heard the one piece of information that she needed. Her cheeks flushed and heart beat raced. She had to talk to those girls. To her dismay, when she removed one of the large books she saw two sixth year Slytherins she had never seen before, only their colors betrayed their house. Hermione had to think quickly, but nothing came to mind. The whispering started up again.

"Hey, I gotta go back to the common room and pick up my books. Do you want to meet here again tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yeah sounds good. See you after class Angela." The second girl responded.

Hermione smiled broadly. This was going to be easier than she thought. She hurried over to the Defense Against The Dark Arts section and picked up a well worn book. She grabbed her bag and raced from the room. The plan was simple, she was going to use a basic transformation/disguise spell, similar to the one used on Harry by the Order of the Phoenix. She would simply change her appearance a little and borrow someone's robes. She beamed with pure joy. Tomorrow was the day!

The next afternoon Hermione hurried into the girls bathroom on the first floor and did the quick transformation. She had talked a fourth year Ravenclaw into letting her borrow a set of robes. She grinned a little at the memory, she had told the girl that there was an evil spirit inside that particular set, and being head girl she would have to perform an exorcism. The younger girl was more than happy to oblige. Hermione hurried into the set of robes and adjusted her dark straight hair. Her nose was larger, her cheeks were broader, and her eyebrows fuller. The only recognizable feature on her face were her eyes. They were exactly the same. Hermione debated whether or not to change the color but decided she had a very common set, and that no one would pay particular attention to them.

She rushed up the stairs to the library and paused outside the door. She calmly collected her thoughts and review her strategy. She heaved a great sigh and pushed through the entrance. She glanced around the room nervously, praying the girls hadn't canceled their little get together. Hermione headed for the dark arts section. After a few minutes of fiddling idly with books she heard the same hushed whispering. She couldn't help but beam triumphantly. She slowly walked around the corner and stared at the two figures hunched over a book. A deep breath passed her lips.

"Um, excuse me." She said softly. The two girls whipped around and glared at the intrusion. They stepped aside assuming she wanted past.

"Oh, er, no. I was wondering if you could help me." Hermione stated carefully. The two girls exchanged a glance and then shrugged. Clearly she was going to have to do all of the talking. "Um, yes, well, I was informed that you two were very important members of a secret group." She started gradually lowering her voice. The two girls raised their eyebrows simultaneously. Hermione knew she had struck a cord with calling them important. "Yes, well I am very interested in that particular field of study, and I was wondering if perhaps, you being practically in charge and all, would let me join. I am in total awe." She finished, feigning meekness. The two girls smiled broadly. Hermione had caught them in their own vain traps.

"So you want to join our D.A. club?" The first girl asked.

"Oh yes, more then anything." Hermione said with pleading in her eyes.

"What year are you?" Angela asked.

"Oh, um, I know I'm only a lowly 4th year, but I am a quick learner, I won't be any trouble." She said nodding her head.

"What do you think Lour?" Angela asked her friend.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." She said with a shrug. " Meet us tonight by the owlery at 10:30." Lour said with an air of conspiracy.

"Oh thank you so much!" Hermione squealed. With that she tossed her hair and nearly skipped from the library. She was absolutely ecstatic. She couldn't believe they had let her in, a complete stranger so easily. 'Amazing what a little flattery can do.' She said to herself.Hermione felt the charm beginning to wear off, so she hurried back to bathroom. She was all smiles for the rest of the day. She couldn't even sit still long enough to concentrate on her lessons, and she constantly watched the clock.

Her thoughts drifted to what the meeting would be like. 'How long will I have to be in this stupid club before I learn the spell I need?' She wondered. 'Who is in charge? I know it can't be those two half wit girls.' The questions swirled in her mind all the way up until dinner time. Her nerves caught up with her there. She looked around the Great Hall desperately, hoping Lour and Angela were not looking for their new admirer. She was relieved to see the two of them engrossed over yet another volume, both heads bent together in blissful oblivion. Then Hermione realized that they hadn't even asked for her name. She smiled, she knew exactly what she would pick.

Hermione returned to her common room after dinner, grateful that Draco wasn't around. She had carefully avoided him after their encounter over her gift. She sat on one of the large couches and played with her wand shooting colored sparks out of the end. She realized she was as nervous as a first year boarding the train. She decided a nice walk outside would do her some good. She wrapped her dark cloak around her shoulders and left the common room.

When she stepped outside she took several deep breaths. She felt oddly at peace, like all of her prayers had been answered. Hermione had never known desperation like this before. She had never wanted anything so bad as this: her mother and father how they used to be. Hermione knew that if she failed her father would lose his job, their home, and any shred of dignity he had left. She took off from the front entrance at a brisk pace. Small puffs of air escaped her lips and swirled in front of her like a miniature cloud. She continued to worry about the meeting that night, but pushed the anxiety to the back of her mind.

Time flew with the wind, and Hermione had to run to run back to her dorm at a break neck pace. She quickly scanned the common room assuring herself that Draco was still not present. She decided it would be safe to do the transformation in her own room. Once everything was in order and she was in disguise she left for the owlery with fifteen minutes to spare. She hurried up several flights of stairs and ended up on the final landing right on time. The two girls had an anxious look on their faces before they noticed Hermione.

"There you are!" Angela said quietly. "We were getting worried. Let's go." She said motioning forward with her arm. Hermione obediently followed behind the two girls as they walked down a long narrow corridor. They stopped at the last door on the left. Hermione had never noticed this hall before, and made a mental note to check for it the next time she sent out a letter. Angela whispered a charm and the door slowly creaked open.

The room was dimly lit with a handful of candles. Hermione peered around and did a quick head count. There were twelve students packed in the tiny room including the three new arrivals. Hermione studied her surroundings. It appeared as thought the Dark Arts club had commandeered an old vacant storage closet. She gracefully took a seat on a lumpy cushion provided on the floor. Angela and Lour followed suit and began an excited conversation with a 7th year Hufflepuff. Hermione raised her eyebrows a little in his direction. She never would have guessed. After about ten minutes she grew restless. She finally turned to Angela.

"Are we going to start now?" she asked. Angela turned around and looked annoyed.

"No, we have to wait for him to get here." She said with a flourish of her dark ponytail. She was again engrossed in conversation. Hermione studied her fingernails, and everything else in a close proximity. Finally she heard the door creak open. 'Now we shall see who this all powerful wizard is' she laughed to herself. 'I hope for his own safety he doesn't play me wrong.'

Hermione gasped audibly when the tall form of Draco Malfoy emerged through the entrance. She wanted to scream, she wanted to tear her hair out and attack him. 'No! How can he be in charge of this group? God I should have figured it out.' she raged inside. She did a quick turn around though, 'Well, I guess his father is very powerful, maybe he does know the answers I am looking for.' she shrugged.

Draco calmly scanned the room, and noticed a new face. He gave an apologetic smile to the group that wouldn't dare question him and approached the new member. The girl visibly squirmed in her seat. He looked from her to the two sets of down cast eyes next to her.

"Angela, Lour, what have I told you about inviting people in without permission?" He asked sending them a scowl.

"We're really sorry Draco, but she is really good, we saw her casting spells, and we thought she would be perfect for the group." Angela said breathlessly. He looked toward the new girl and raised his eyebrows. He saw the look on her face, it clearly said 'No you didn't'. He decided not to elaborate on their story. Instead he focused on her. At first he hadn't really noticed her, but now that he was studying her intently he recognized something vaguely firmiliar.

"Stand up." He commanded. The girl obeyed. "What is you name?" He asked.

"Adele." The girl said looking at the floor. Draco searched his memory. He had only heard that name once. It was the password to Hermione's chamber, the statue had smiled indulgently at him and let him pass with that word. He again looked into her eyes and the connection was made. That was what was so firmiliar about this girl. Those were Hermione's eyes. His eyebrows raised a fraction and his eyes danced with confused fury. Hermione took a small step back.

"I want everyone to practice the spell we worked on last week. Adele and I need to have some private words before I let her in our little group." He stated, sneering the last sentenced. Venom dripped from her name. He never looked away from Hermione's terror stricken face.


	10. Heated Emotions

Oh my goodness! I am so so sorry it has taken this long. One of my close friends was in a really bad car accident, and I have been spending a lot of time with him. Plus, on top of that I just started another job, please forgive me! Sorry that this chapter is so short, but I didn't want to leave you hanging for too much longer. I promise that the next one is the one we have all been waiting for. Please review. Thanks! Phaedra

Chapter 10 Heated Emotions

Hermione began to breathe rapidly. The panic was painted in every worried line of her face. 'The is no way he could have recognized me. God, maybe I shouldn't have used my Mother's name again.' She screamed at herself. Draco firmly gripped her upper arm and wrenched her towards the door. Hermione winced at the slight pain.

Draco threw open the door and sent Hermione sailing into the narrow corridor. He turned around and did a quick charm to make the small room sound proof. Hermione debated whether or not to run, but decided against it, Draco had a look that could kill. He turned around with forced calm.

"What the hell are you doing in there?" He barked. Hermione opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off. "Thought you'd have a little game of us then? Thought you'd go run off and tell Dumbledore what we are doing?" He raged. He took one large step across the hall and pinned Hermione to the cold stones. One hand on either shoulder. His face drew dangerously close. "Well, what the hell was it? Why were you in there?" He yelled shaking her with fury. "Answer me damn you."

Hermione raised her eyes to his, and muttered the charm. Her disguise melted away, and she stood exposed in the angry arms of Draco Malfoy. Her body shook with tears she couldn't shed. She couldn't find her voice, she was too confused, too frightened. Draco shook her again. "I... I wanted to join the club, I... wanted to be in it." She said quietly.

"Bullshit Granger. What is your real reason? What, you want to get rid of me? Can't stand the fact that we are equals?" He growled. Draco was displaying more feelings than he meant to.

"No, it's not that. it's just..." She finished, her arms going limp. She didn't want to tell him about her motives, about her insane plan.

"Just what?" He said with fierce determination. He continued to stare into her eyes, looking for any sign of guilt. All he saw there was utter disappointment. He shook her again. "You will answer me. I would hate to see what those kids in there would do if they knew there was a spy in their midst. They all have way too much going for them to let you to ruin it." He threatened, barely above a whisper.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I heard them say that you could teach them how to bring back the dead. I wasn't spying, I just wanted to learn that one thing. I know it's against our law, I know all of that. It was just a silly hope. Your secret is safe with me." She mumbled, totally defeated. She made a move to turn from him and walk away hoping her explanation would pacify him for the time being. His grip tightened. She hung her head for a few moments, and then chanced to look into his eyes. There was a burning intensity she had never seen before it almost told of understanding. Hermione let herself pray a tiny bit that he wouldn't hurt her. Draco continued to stare straight at her, as if he could read her mind and see the truth.

"Why do you want to bring back the dead?" He asked, his eyebrows raised in superiority. "What could the Head Girl do with an army of the dead?" Hermione remained silent, and resumed her inspection of the floor. The grip on her arm tightened again. "Why do you want to raise the dead?" He asked again. Hermione ignored him. Her plan sounded stupid even to her. She couldn't stand the thought of Malfoy laughing in her face. "Why? Damn you, answer me." He yelled, slamming her against the wall. He continued asking the same question over and over until Hermione exploded.

"I want to bring my mother back. My father is slowly killing himself, and she is the only one who can save him. It's a selfish reason and I don't care. I want my family back. Now, let me go." She screamed with so much force Draco took a small step back, releasing her arms. Hermione stared at him, pure loathing shooting from her eyes. She turned to leave, but the look on his face haunted her steps. He looked lost in memories, he looked like he was searching for something. Tears streamed down Hermione's face. The sound of her heartbeat drowned out any other noise. She didn't hear Draco running after her. He grabbed the back of her uniform and gave it a firm tug. She stumbled backwards and came to rest against the front of his chest. She let out an angry scream and pushed herself off of him. She turned around and with all the strength she had left she landed a firm punch to his right cheek.

Draco growled with fury and fumbled to restrain her flailing limps. She continued to slap and punch him where ever her hands could make contact. Hermione felt her limbs grow heavy like lead. She stumbled forward into Draco's open arms. Her head rested on the flat of his chest, and her arms went limp at her sides. She sobbed into his robes, and made no effort to move. Her mind was so clouded with pain and humiliation that all common sense fled her mind. She was barely aware that Draco's arms had circled about her waist.

Draco looked around the corridor frantically. He was so confused. Just a moment ago Hermione had been wailing on him, and now she was helpless in his arms. He had never seen her quite this lost, this alone. He followed his instincts, and he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. He forced himself not to think about her small body pressed firmly against him. His mind was reeling. 'What the hell am I supposed to do?' He asked himself. 'Why should I comfort her? Why should I tell her about the nightmare I went through?' He debated. His grip tightened around her, and he decided what should be done. He snaked his hands up her side, and gripped her shoulders. He pushed her firmly away from him. Hermione refused to look up, refused to meet his eyes. 'Bet she wishes it was Potter or Weasley with her.' He thought bitterly. 'But they can't help her.'

Draco turned her around and began to force her to walk back toward the Owlery. She made no protest, she put up no struggle. She clearly represented someone who was defeated. Draco glowered at her from the corner of his eyes. He hated human emotion, human weakness. He had distanced himself from them so long ago it was hard to remember what it was like. Hermione was strong, she had faced so much adversity already. He frowned as he thought about how much pain he alone had caused her. He hated to see people give up, especially when he knew they were stronger than himself.

Deep in thought Draco stared at the floor. He reached his arm around Hermione's shoulders and began to lead her back down the corridor toward the owlery. The pair did not notice a set of blazing eyes hidden in shadow. After they passed Pansy stepped from her hiding spot and watched the two retreating figures. She slowly withdrew her wand and pointed it squarely at Hermione's back.


	11. Desperate Confessions

Ok here it is as I promised. One of the big secrets that draws Hermione and Draco together. I hope you enjoy. Please please review! I've had rough couple of weeks, and your comments will revive me! Thanks! Phae

Chapter 11

Desperate Confessions

Pansy looked down at her shaking hand, and realized the only way to get back at Hermione was through Draco. She returned her wand to her pocket, and with a flip of her hair walked back down the hall towards the Dark Arts Club room.

Draco continued to lead Hermione back to their common room. She made no sound, only silent tears proved she was still alive. Draco whispered the password, and guided Hermione through the narrow passage. He walked her up to one of the couches and gently turned her around. He forced her to sit and looked at her downcast face. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Don't move." He told her. Draco walked to his room and came back moments later with a silver flask engraved with his family crest. He set it on the small table closest to his patient. The couch sank under Draco's weary weight. He conjured two small glasses and began to pour the fiery looking liquid into them. when they were both equal he picked one up and pressed it into Hermione's hand.

"Drink this, you will feel better." He instructed. Hermione stared down at the glass, and memories of her father's pitiful existence flooded her thoughts. She knew her father was a slave to the drink, and here she sat, next to her greatest foe, about to do the very same thing. A tear slipped down her cheek as she brought the glass to her lips. The strong odor of the liquor cleared her sinuses, and made her eyes water even more. She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"If this dulls my father's pain, perhaps it will dull mine." She whispered and she tilted the cup back. The red liquid burned a path down her throat, and she stifled a gag. She was determined not to stop until the glass was empty. Draco looked at her, and raised his eyebrows in shock. Hermione finished the rest off and slammed the glass onto the table. A disgusted look crossed her face as she brushed the back of her hand over her mouth.

"Done this before Granger?" Draco asked playfully. Hermione took it as an insult and landed the palm of her hand on his left cheek. Draco made no sound. She left her hand on his face and her eyes grew wide with terror. 'The liquor is quick' she said to herself. She cold feel the drink swirling in her stomach, warm, flowing through her veins. She looked into Draco's steady gray eyes, and was no longer afraid. She grew more bold with every beat of her heart. Her hand began to move delicately over the flesh she had assaulted. She traced small circles with her fingers. Draco reached down for his own glass and in one fluid movement downed all the contents.

Draco felt the soft touch on his face again. 'Her touch is so light' he marveled. He pushed his face deeper into her palm, until she was cupping it and making tiny circles by his eyes with her thumb. Draco breathed in deeply. He closed his eyes and exhaled. He had a sudden urge to draw her closer to him. He wanted to hold her near, and just take it all in. Then he realized that she was drunk, and had she been sober she would still be hitting him. The thought cooled his head, and the blood rushing in his veins. He softly grasped her hand and brought it down to her lap.

Hermione stared at their entwined hands and sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't know what has come over me. For a second there I could think of nothing but you, and being in this moment." She slurred. Draco couldn't remember the last time he had heard words that meant so much to him. He lifted his eyes to hers and smiled. She returned the gesture with a faint tint of rose gracing her cheeks.

"Hermione I wanted to talk to you about you mother, and this plan of yours." He started. "It is impossible, I should know. I only told those students that I could teach them that to ensure their attendance. That group is a little hobby of mine." He explained. Hermione remained silent for several minutes. Draco debated whether or not to continue. 'This is stupid, she will never understand. And even if she did, what would change? Nothing.' He battled with himself.

"How do you know there isn't a way?" She finally asked the hands folded in her lap.

"It's a long story Hermione, you will just have to believe me, I watched my mother do the very thing you are starting. Desperation is a horrible thing." Draco said.  
He swore to himself 'Damn, I have already revealed too much.' He knew Hermione's curious nature would get the best of her. He looked at her flushed cheeks, and couldn't help but appreciate their flawless texture.

"I want to hear the story. Did your mother lose a parent?" She asked softly. Draco took a deep breath and reached for his flask. He took another long swig of the strong spirit. He shook his head as if to relieve some of the thoughts.

"Hermione, I have never told anyone this before. You will be the very first. I swear to you that if you tell anyone what I am about to reveal I will kill you." From his tone Hermione has no doubt that he was being completely serious. She nodded her head in a silent agreement.

"I...um..." Draco was unsure where to start his story. "Ok, I had a twin sister, named Persephone." He blurted out. Hermione raised her eyes to meet his, and he could read the shock.

"Your password..." She whispered.

"Yes, I loved her very much, we were inseparable." He told her.

"What happened?" Hermione braved the question.  
"My sister and I both received our Hogwarts letters in advance upon my father's request. He had always been a very ambitious man. He not only wanted the best for his children, but in turn he wanted us to be the best. He was determined that we start off school being ahead of all the other first years." Draco paused and sucked in a deep breath. He was digging up memories that he had long since buried. "He bought us each a top of the line broom, and told us we would be the first students with flying experience on our first day. I took to flying right away, I loved it, the absolute feeling of being free." Draco smiled a bit as he thought of the joy his broom had brought him. "Persephone was not as good as I was. We always had a petty little competition over who our father would praise more. Back then he was a much kinder man, a man who loved his children. One day we were out in our yard, and he was being a little harsh to Persephone, telling her that all the other students would laugh at her if ten feet was all the higher she could fly. the truth was that Persephone was terrified of heights, but she never told anyone that but me. She was a proud girl. She grabbed the broom with determination, I can still remember the look in her eyes. She soared high above the ground, even higher then I had ever gone. She whirled around in the sky, and I laughed and clapped. My father was telling her what a good job she was doing. We both looked away for a moment, and she fell. We heard he screams, and we heard her delicate body hit the ground."

Hermione was in utter shock. She didn't even feel the tears running down her cheeks. Draco looked away from her and dashed away the tears forming in his own eyes.

"We took her to every magical hospital we could, but none could revive her. We buried her on our property by her favorite grove. My father was so ashamed, so furious with himself. He didn't want anyone to know what had happened to his daughter. He didn't want to carry the guilt. He made me swear that I would never tell anyone that I had a sister. A sister that my father's ambition had killed. My mother was absolutely devastated. Persephone was everything good in our family. You would have liked her. She was so smart, and beautiful. She never had an unkind thing to say to anyone." Draco's voice began to crack as he remembered his sister's perfection. "I adored her more then anyone. When she died, a piece of me died too. I decided against being emotional and sensitive, and turned towards anger and superiority. After her death my parents went crazy. My mother would lay in Persephone's bed and play with her toys in the dark. My father grew increasingly more bitter. In their desperation they turned to the dark arts to bring her back. My father had swore he would never again go to the dark side, but his guilt, and I suppose the love for his slain daughter, outweighed his oath. My parents were heavy in the black magic. It seemed to intoxicate them. My mother spent three years in utter isolation trying to bring my sister back. I couldn't even recognize her. My father has it even worse. He wants me to carry on the tradition, you know, trying to bring back my sister. He has told me that if he doesn't find a way soon that it would all be up to me. This is the legacy my father is leaving me, one of guilt and futile efforts." Draco finished by resting his weary head in his hands.

Hermione slid across the couch and placed her hand on his back. She began to rub slow rhythmic circles over his robes. She felt his muscles tense at first, and then slowly relax. "How did your mother get over it? I mean, How did she finally stop trying?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, one day she just told my father and I that she was better, and that everything would be back to normal when the time was right. She threw away all of her spell books, and burned all the supplies she had been using. She barred Persephone's room, and became her normal loving self again." He shrugged. Hermione moved even closer to Draco, her lids feeling heavy, her body tired. Her mind reeled at what she had just learned. She felt a peace come over her. Someone understood, someone felt the same way that she did. At this point Hermione did not even care that is was Draco who shared her pain, she just could not bear going through it alone.

Hermione felt her head descending upon Draco's shoulder, she waited with her breath held for him to move away. He didn't even flinch. All Hermione wanted was someone to hold her, make her whole again. Draco gently grasped her head and brought it down into his lap. She faced the dying fire. She put both legs up on the couch and slowly closed her eyes. Draco sat rigid in his seat, softly stroking Hermione's hair. The moment was tranquil, but their thoughts were in turmoil.


	12. Alter Egos

Oh my goodness! Please Please Please forgive me for taking so long. I have been really busy. I moved to a new house and couldn't get the internet hooked up forever! I am so sorry! I promise to update regularly now. I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit slow after the exciting info in the last one, but I am building character depth, so please stick with me! And again, so so sorry! Please review! Thanks Phaedra

Chapter 12 Alter Egos

Hermione was awakened by a throbbing pain in her head, and her back. She opened her heavy lids and focused on the dim room. Only the embers remained of the fire, but an eerie light was staining the windows. The light of dawn, far before it arrives. Hermione felt ill. She tried desperately to remember what had happened last night, to fit all the pieces together. She didn't dare to move for fear that the pounding in her head would only increase. She lay perfectly still and blinked away the fog still clouding her mind.

Draco watched Hermione with amusement. He remembered the first time he and his sister had broke into their father's study and each tried his own home made fire whisky. The two spent the entire next day in bed claiming they had a terrible stomach ache. He assumed this must be how Hermione was feeling. He rested his disheveled head against the back of the couch. He let out a long slow breath and then said in a tone of complete annoyance. "You'll be wanting something for your head I'm sure, but your going to need to move off me first. Let's just hope I'm not paralyzed.

Hermione stiffened when she heard that lazy drawl laced with impatience. It all came flooding back to her. She slowly raised up off of Draco's lap and rested her head in her hands. She refused to look at him even though she could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. He gripped the edge of the couch and launched himself on to his feet hoping the surprise of blood would not send him reeling to the floor. He let out the breath he had been holding and willed his legs to move toward his dormitory.

Draco paused hearing a muffled sound. He whipped around and said "What?" Almost not trusting his hearing.

"I said I don't need anything, thank you. I think your bony legs just put a horrible strain on my neck." She said still muffling her voice with her hands. Draco smirked at her. He admired her will, being able to choke down the pain that was probably unbearable just for her pride. He left her sitting on the couch and proceeded to his dorm. He vaulted up the steps feeling oddly alive, refreshed, even though he hadn't slept a wink. He rummaged through a few drawers until he found the bottle of pills he had been searching for. He dumped two into his palm and returned to the common room that was slowly filling with light. He paused for a moment, forced himself to breathe. The sun was playing tricks with Hermione's hair. It almost seemed to glow. At that moment Draco could have sworn he was looking at an angel. He angrily shook his head and cursed himself for being so sentimental. He purposefully strode over to the couch and wrenched one of her hands away from her face.

"Ah, what the hell do you think you are doing?" Hermione growled, trying to tug her trapped wrist away from his vice like grip. She looked up at him and flinched slightly at the ill disguised loathing beneath the surface. He turned her palm up and dropped the two bright green pills into her hand.

"What are these?" She demanded.

"To make you feel better you idiot." He said coldly. "Don't try to act all tough for my benefit Granger, I know you're not that strong."

Hermione narrowed her eyes to slits. She closed her fist tightly and ripped it out of his grasp. She heaved herself off the couch and gave Draco an enormous shove backwards. He toppled over the coffee table and landed squarely on his back. He made a choking sound and Hermione charged toward her room. Draco leaped to his feet and raced after her, prepared to throttle her until her eyes rolled back in her head. Unfortunately the extra moment he spent sprawled on the stone floor was enough for the statue to seal firmly behind her. Draco raged on the warrior slinging every insult he knew.

Hermione was never so thankful for the solid stone walls of the castle. She knew she had gone too far, and regretted her sudden burst of anger. She slammed her back against the door and slid down to a sitting position. She couldn't put it together. Last night they had shared something special, or at least she thought, and only a few hours later he was treating her lower than a house elf. She willed the tears pooling in her eyes to go away. She looked down at her still clenched fist and snarled in disgust. 'Help me? More like poison me! Trying to get my guard down! I'll show him.' Hermione stormed.

She shot upright and ran to her bathroom. She threw both the bright green pills in the toilet and gave it a firm flush, and then did it again just to make sure they were gone. Hermione slumped back into a heap and held her head in her hands. She was in too much pain to recount her evening with Draco. So instead she slowly rocked back in forth soothing her aching temples.

After Draco had beat his knuckles raw on the statue and screamed himself hoarse he turned and walked stiffly to his own dorm. He flopped on his bed and left his feet dangling over the edge. His head throbbed dully, but he could still see through the fog. 'What the hell happened? I was so happy ten minutes ago. What did she expect? We would give a great hug and be like two peas in a pod. She's smart, she should have seen this coming. What the hell was I trying to do? Oh god, Persephone! Why did I tell that stupid little bitch my darkest secret? What was I thinking? Oh god, trying to be noble? What was I saving her from? Herself? Doubtful. I'm a Malfoy, I only do something if it is for my own personal gain. But what did I gain by having her sleep in my arms, besides a dead leg? Oh hell! No, no, it was all just a ploy. Make the little fool care for me a little, identify, so she won't go running her great mouth to Dumbledore about my club. Yes that's it. I knew there was a reason. I just don't want to be disbanded. If she asks about my sister I will tell her to drop it. I never want to hear her mention that name again. Yes, I will be completely indifferent to her from now on. God, what is she doing to me? She is lower my guard. No, no, I lowered it myself, it has nothing to do with her. She smells like lavender, it clouds my thoughts. No, she smells like filth, and I will not tolerate her interfering any longer!' Draco spat furiously. His thoughts were switching so fast, all contradicting the other. The pounding in his head became more pronounced. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples in rhythmic little circles and then cast his hands away when he remembered the sensation of her fingers on his body.

Hermione didn't remember falling asleep. She slowly opened her eyes and the bathroom came into focus. She was in a crumpled mass on the floor her entire body aching now, not just her head. She crawled carefully into her room and clawed her way on to her bed. It was only Saturday, she still had all day Sunday to do her homework and sort out the horrible mess with Malfoy.

Draco woke up as the sun was setting. His stomach gave a tremendous rumble as he sat up in bed. He estimated that it was around dinner time. He stalked out into the common room running his fingers through his mussed hair. He was half hoping to see Hermione so he could shake her as he intended to hours ago. He looked around the common room, and then towards her door. She hadn't left yet. He could tell because he had cast a truly ingenious spell. It was to follow her where ever she went making crude noises and filling the surrounding air with a horrible odor. He frowned as the green gas floated above her door waiting to strike. With a casual flick of his wrist the spell was gone. He immediately decided he didn't want Hermione stinking up his common room, but in reality he didn't want to see the look of pain in her eyes. He angrily snatched up a sweater and headed down for the great hall. He decided he would not return tonight, instead he would spend his time with Pansy, filling his senses with anything but lavender. Anything but Hermione Granger.


	13. The Catalyst

Hey everyone, I know, I know, I can't apologize enough! Anyways, here you go. Hermione may seem a bit our of character here, but try to understand that she is potentially losing the only person who knows how she feels. Let's face it, she's a basket case, but in this chapter she is a little funner to watch. Enjoy, and please review Phaedra

Chapter 13

The Catalyst

Hermione rolled to her side and forced her eyes open. Her entire room was dark. She could have sworn she had slept for a year. Her body was as groggy as her mind. She sluggishly pulled herself into a sitting position and squinted at her clock, 12:32am came into focus. Hermione's body begged for more rest, but her mind began reeling. Without the dulling effects of the liquor she could clearly think upon the events of last night. She remembered the tale Draco had confided in her.

Hermione gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand. She could not put the pieces together when things went wrong. Draco had placed his trust in her, even grudgingly, and then she put her trust in him but sleeping in his lap. Then after the sun came up he was his same hateful self again. She knew an even harsher moment of desperation at his abandonment. Draco was the only one she knew who understood what it was like to lose someone you love. The only person capable of helping her to cope. She could not lose this one thread. She refused to lose the tiny bit of companionship she had won over. Hermione faced an ugly truth, she needed Draco to be there for her, she needed him more than anyone. She needed to share her grief.

Hermione steeled her nerves and decided what she would do. She ran her fingers through her tangled tresses and went to her dresser to find a suitable outfit for her mission. Hermione knew one thing about Draco for a fact, he spoke the language of lust very fluently. She colored slightly at her devious plan, she had never done anything this risqué before. Her morals and standards chafed against her decision, but she was determined to have it out with Draco one way or another.

Draco sank further into the mattress of his bed. He was absently flicking his wand around making a pair of pants and a shirt battle. His mind wasn't in the sport however. Draco could not stop thinking about Hermione no matter how hard he tried. He had taken out all of his aggression and frustration on Pansy, but she liked it that way. His body ached from all the forgetting he had tried to do that day. Draco scratched his bare torso and sighed deeply. He had wondered all day if Hermione was truly ill. He had been half tempted to check on her, but his pride wouldn't allow him. He had sustained a dark bruise on his perfect skin because of her little tantrum.

Draco was too busy musing over Hermione's attitude problem to hear the password to his room being spoken. He did however hear the statue grinding to the right. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" He yelled, unable to see who was on his stairs. When no one answered he grew impatient and got to his feet. He began advancing on the corridor relinquishing the game with his clothes which fell in a heap on the floor. He raised his wand prepared for any sort of attack, assuming the worst.

He was not however prepared for the sight that met his eyes. Hermione presented herself at the entrance to his room. She was clad in a black pair of lace boy shorts, and a matching tank top that exposed at least three inches of her abdomen above her navel. Draco's wand fell to the floor and rolled under his bed. His mouth gaped as Hermione tired to put on her best impersonation of a vixen.

Draco finally regained a few of his senses. His mouth had gone dry. "Wh... What are you doing in here Granger?" He ground out, still absorbing every inch of her exposed skin. The blush the crept across her face did not escape him. The innocence he knew she had only succeeded in arousing him even more. He did not know what she was playing at.

"Well aren't you going to invite me in?" Hermione asked coyly.

"What are you trying to do Granger? What is this all about? For Merlin's sake put on some clothes." He said staring hard at the stone floor beside him. He knew he would lose his cool if he looked upon her for even one more moment.

Hermione's mind raced. She had no idea what she was doing. This was the most embarrassing situation of her life. She would never have dreamed of offering herself up like this. But she was desperate. If Draco had looked any closer he would have seen the look of wild terror and hopelessness in her eyes. He would have known that she was clutching at straws. Hermione kept repeating in her mind that he was the only one that understood. She could not lose this. She didn't feel so alone in her grief when she was with him. She feared this was her last hope before she lost everything she had worked for.

Hermione took a deep breath and slowly, and deliberately walked toward Draco. She couldn't help but smile a bit when he took a step back. They continued this game until the back of Draco's knees bumped into his mattress. He silently cursed his luck. Draco had no idea what Hermione was doing. He was almost afraid. Quickly he ran through a check list in his mind of everything that might be wrong with her. Each seemed as unlikely as the next. His fire whiskey was still under his pillow, and no one had any reason to use the imperious curse on her. 'Well, one person' Draco amended to himself, but that was not possible. He was drawing a complete blank, and then he smelled lavender.

Draco drew his eyes up from the stone floor to see Hermione standing only a foot away from him. They were so close that he could see the tiny pulse hammering on her delicate neck. For some reason he wanted to follow the vein with his tongue. He was losing control. He mentally screamed at himself to get a grip, but nothing was working. Not even images of his father, nor of his threats, seemed to stem the tide of hormones rushing through his blood. He turned to the only defense he had left, his hate.

"What the hell do you think you are doing Granger?" He rasped, refusing to break eye contact. He knew if he did, if his eyes roamed down her body again, the battle would be over, and she would be declared the victor.

"I just wanted to come in here and have a little chat Malfoy, that's all." She said with a slight shrug that drew Draco's eyes to her bare shoulders. She could see the frustration in his eyes when he whipped them back up to her face. For the first time since she walked through those doors she felt in control. She was winning. 'And it really wasn't that hard at all' she remarked to herself, not allowing her grin to form on her pouty lips. She knew the only way to gain any ground from here was to take charge while he was obviously showing weakness. She had stayed strong, her eyes had not once left his face, because if they had she knew her knees would have buckled at the sheer perfection of his bared chest.

"A chat about what?" Draco asked suspiciously. He wanted to smack himself the moment the words were out of his mouth. He knew he had opened Pandora's box, and there would be no going back, for better or for worse he knew things would never be the same.

"I wanted your opinion on my sleeping attire actually," Hermione said simply, "I thought you would be the best at judging a girls under-things since you have seen so many."

Draco visually paled at her response. Never in a million years would he have imagined something like this. 'Get a hold of yourself Draco!' he urged 'She is just toying with you. You are losing your ground. You cannot let her get to you like this. Not like this.' he berated himself.

"You're right, I have seen a lot of girls in lingerie, but I'm sorry, I can't help you." He said with as much sarcasm as he could muster, but while he said the words his eyes crawled across her skin hungrily, making his arousal almost painful, and definitely visible.

"And why is that?" Hermione asked rolling her eyes.

"Because I find nothing attractive about a dirty mud blood in her skivvies." He said glaring at her. Hermione's eyes widened in outrage. Two could play at that game.

"Well, for the sake of house unity, perhaps you should give it a go." She coaxed. "Here let me try this." Hermione slowly began to turn counter-clock wise. She paused when her back was facing Draco. She slowly, in what she hoped was a sensual gesture swept he long hair off of her back and coiled it around her hand. When she came full circle she nearly burst out laughing, except that her nerves were so frayed, and blush was slowly creeping to her cheeks.

When Hermione had turned around Draco was treated to the sight of a perfectly shaped set of butt cheeks poking invitingly out of the very bottom of the lacy black underwear. He nearly fainted. He slowly lowered himself onto the bed, and adjusted his manhood. He had never wanted to touch anything so bad in his entire life.

"So, can you at least give it a little tiny ity bity try Draco?" Hermione purred, closing the gap between them yet again.

Draco's mind was spinning. Hermione was the most perfectly proportioned and beautifully shaped girl he had ever seen. His hands were almost shaking with the desire to run his fingers from her neck to her navel. He knew he should be screaming at himself, or at her, but he couldn't muster the strength. His pulsing desire was sucking all logical thought from his mind.

"Well?" Hermione asked, turning slightly to the side so he could view a portion of her rear end again.

"Oh you damn well know what my opinion of those things are. You are just playing games like every other girl." He said in a disgusted tone.

"So... I take it that you like them? One a scale from 1 to 10 they would be a..." She prompted. Hermione was actually beginning to enjoy this little charade quite thoroughly.

"Ten, damn you. Now get out of my room!" He ordered.

"Alright." Hermione agreed simply. She turned and began walking toward his corridor. "Oh actually Draco, I was wondering if you could help me out with one more small thing."

"Oh Merlin! What?" He said, clearly agitated.

"I was wondering if you could tell me how I stack up to other girls when it comes to kissing."


End file.
